Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cakes
Because Passover is coming, I’ve had flourless chocolate cakes on the brain. This is one of my all-time favorite Passover desserts, and not just during Passover. These dense, fudge-like cakes are so rich and deep, they’re perfect for a die-hard chocoholic like me. They’re also great to serve to gluten-free or grain-free friends, and the short ingredient list means I always have the ingredients on hand to whip up a batch!
This year I wanted to try something a little different, and I added ground hazelnuts to the flourless chocolate cake batter. I’ve made flourless cakes with ground almonds before, but had never thought to swap hazelnuts in.
Guys, this is a game changer. The hazelnuts add an amazing depth of flavor that makes these desserts taste like the cake version of Nutella! Seriously, if you’re at all a hazelnut fan, you have to try it. (And if you’re not a hazelnut fan, feel free to use ground almonds, pecans, or walnuts instead!) Topped with a soft cloud of whipped cream, and a few nuts and berries, these cakes are absolutely perfect. Here’s how to make them!
Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
yield: 5 4-inch mini cakes (10 servings)
Ingredients
- 4 oz (1 cup) toasted hazelnuts
- 12 oz chocolate chips
- 5 oz (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 7.5 oz (1 cup) packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup coffee (can substitute water or hazelnut liqueur)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- Toppings like whipped cream, additional hazelnuts, berries, or chocolate sauce
Start by preheating the oven to 350 F. Place the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor and process them until they’re very finely ground. Watch carefully during this time, since it’s easy to over-process and start to make hazelnut butter! Once you have your hazelnut crumbs, set them aside for a moment.
Combine the chocolate and cubed butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds, until the chocolate and butter are melted together and are smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, and coffee. If you don’t want to use coffee, you can substitute another liquid like water, orange juice, Frangelico, or other liqueurs. It’s very flexible, and it’s hard to go wrong! Whisk everything together until smooth.
Add the melted chocolate to the eggs and whisk until smooth and shiny. When you first combine them it might look broken or have a funny texture, but just keep whisking until it is smooth, shiny, and satiny.
Finally, add the ground hazelnuts and salt, and stir until everything is well-combined.
Prepare 5 4-inch springform pans by lining them with parchment circles on the bottom, and spraying the insides with nonstick cooking spray. Wrap the outsides of the pans tightly with 2 pieces of overlapping foil. It’s important to wrap the pans well, otherwise water might sneak in through the bottom of the pans and make the cakes soggy. Using two wide layers of foil, wrapped at different angles, does the trick nicely.
Divide the cake batter between the 5 pans, and put them in a large roasting pan (or divide them between 2 pans if they don’t fit.) Pour enough hot water in the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pans.
Bake the cakes in the 350 F oven for 1 hour, until the tops look dry but still shiny, and they have only a very slight jiggle when the pan is tapped. Remove the pan from the oven and take the cakes out of the water bath. Once they are room temperature, refrigerate them for 1-2 hours until completely cold.
Release the sides of the pan and remove the cakes. Peel the parchment from the bottoms and place them on individual plates.
These cakes are delicious on their own, but of course I’m going to advise you to finish them off with some fun toppings! I used whipped cream, chopped hazelnuts, and a few strawberry slices, which was delicious. You could also warm them up slightly and serve them with vanilla ice cream and chocolate or caramel sauce. Other fruit, chocolate curls, or a dusting of cocoa powder would also work perfectly.
As always, there are printable instructions and a pin-able image down below. Enjoy!
- 4 oz (1 cup) toasted hazelnuts
- 12 oz chocolate chips
- 5 oz (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 7.5 oz (1 cup) packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup coffee (can substitute water or hazelnut liqueur)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- Toppings like whipped cream, additional hazelnuts, berries, or chocolate sauce
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor and process them until they're very fine crumbs. Set aside for now.
- Combine the chocolate and cubed butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds, until the chocolate and butter are melted together and are smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, and coffee. Whisk together until smooth.
- Add the melted chocolate to the eggs and whisk until smooth and shiny. Finally, add the ground hazelnuts and salt, and stir until everything is well-combined.
- Prepare 5 4-inch springform pans by lining them with parchment circles on the bottom, and spraying the insides with nonstick cooking spray. Wrap the outsides of the pans tightly with 2 pieces of overlapping foil. Divide the cake batter between the 5 pans, and put them in a large roasting pan (or divide them between 2 pans if they don't fit.) Pour enough hot water in the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pans.
- Bake the cakes in the 350 F oven for 1 hour, until the tops look dry but still shiny, and they have only a very slight jiggle when the pan is tapped. Remove the pan from the oven and take the cakes out of the water bath. Once they are room temperature, refrigerate them for 1-2 hours until completely cold.
- Release the sides of the pan and remove the cakes. Peel the parchment from the bottoms and place them on individual plates. Top with your choice of toppings: whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, chopped hazelnuts, fresh berries, and chocolate sauce are all great options.
All text and images (c) Elizabeth LaBau