M
y chocolate and hazelnut cake is made of hazelnut dacquoise, dark chocolate ganache and hazelnut flavored French buttercream. Yum!
First I will make hazelnut dacquoise. To get intense hazelnut flavor I will use toasted, peeled and ground hazelnuts. I will distribute my dacquoise into four molds in order to get equal cake layers. If you want to learn more about dacquoise, check my post!
Next, I’ll make dark chocolate ganache. If you are a fan of this rich chocolate yummyness, I have elaborate post about ganache. Also, I have lots of recipes that are made with one of the ganache types, such as chocolate ganache tart, white chocolate and lemon truffles, simple coffee and chocolate macarons, or soft caramel and chocolate ganache tarts. Pick any of these, they are all winners!
French buttercream is only one type of this rich filling, and all about other types of buttercream you can learn in my post. I actually prefer the French one since it has the most delicate texture, and egg yolks give it another dimension. For my chocolate and hazelnut cake I will make hazelnut buttercream by adding it pure hazelnut paste, so when you take a bite of this cake, the intense hazelnut flavor will simply explode in your mouth! Yum! If you are looking for more buttercream inspiration today, I recommend you also check my Devil’s Food cake or almond and chocolate mocha cake, they are equally delicious!
Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake
by:Tereza Alabanda,The Pastry Maestra
PRINT PDF (EN) ISPIŠI PDF (HR)Prep. time : 40 minutes
Cook time : 30 minutes
Ready in 70 minutes plus cooling
Level : Advanced
INGREDIENTS
Hazelnut Dacquoise:
- Toasted hazelnuts, ground 250g (8.8oz)
- Powdered sugar 250g (8.8oz)
- All purpose flour 65g (2.3oz)
- Egg whites 250g (8.8oz)
- Sugar 65g (2.3oz)
- Dark chocolate 55-60% 115g (4oz)
- Cream 35% 115g (4oz)
- Butter 30g (1oz)
- Egg yolks 115g (4oz)
- Sugar 200g (7oz)
- Butter 310g (11oz)
- Hazelnut paste 100% 85g (3oz)
- Chopped toasted hazelnuts
- To make dacquoise mix ground toasted hazelnuts, sifted powdered sugar and flour in a bowl. Make French meringue from egg whites and sugar. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, and gradually add sugar. Continue whisking until meringue reaches stiff peaks. Add dry ingredients into the meringue, and fold them carefully with silicone spatula.
- Equally distribute the mixture into four 16cm (6″) in diameter cake rings (about 200g/7oz each) and smooth the top using a small spatula. Bake dacquoise at 180°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes and leave it to cool down.
- To make ganache pour hot cream over chopped chocolate, and leave it for about one minute to allow the hot cream to melt the chocolate. Then, stir well to combine. Add softened butter and stir until dissolved. Leave this at room temperature until it becomes pipeable.
- To make French buttercream first you have to make pâte à bombe which is a mixture of whipped egg yolks and cooked sugar syrup. Place egg yolks into a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment and start mixing on medium speed. Put sugar and water (enough to cover the sugar) into a saucepan and put the lid on. Once the syrup boils, the steam will wash down sugar crystals from the sides of the pan and you can remove the lid. Insert the probe of a digital candy thermometer into the syrup and continue cooking until it reaches 118°C (244°F). At that point pour it carefully without turning off the mixer into whipped egg yolks. Once all the syrup is inside, continue whisking pâte à bombe until it cools down. Start adding softened butter gradually into cooled pâte à bombe until everything is incorporated. Then add hazelnut paste and mix to combine.
- To assemble the cake put the first dacquoise layer onto a cake board and top it with 85g (3oz) of ganache. Spread the ganache using a small spatula. Then, put everything in the fridge until the ganache sets.
- Put 115g (4oz) of hazelnut buttercream onto the set ganache and smooth it using a small spatula. Then, place another dacquoise layer onto the buttercream and put everything in the fridge to set. Repeat this procedure until you use all of the dacquoise layers. Place the cake in the fridge until the buttercream sets.
- Add some buttercream onto the sides of the cake and smooth it using a scraper. Then, put some buttercream on top of the cake and spread it using a spatula. Continue until you get regular shape of the cake and then, put it in the fridge until the buttercream sets.
- Decorate the sides of the cake with some chopped hazelnuts. Put remaining buttercream into a piping bag fitted with star tip and decorate the cake. Finally top it with some more chopped hazelnuts.
- There, your delicious chocolate and hazelnut cake is done! Enjoy!
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