Guys, I need a chocolate intervention. I’m going loco for the cocoa.
My prodigious ability to eat my body weight in chocolate emerged age three. Although my first words were “Dada” and “Mama”, I reckon “chocklit” was a close third. Just ask my Mum about the incident. As a tantrum-throwing toddler, I demanded MOAR CHOCKLIT until Mum gave in and left me the family sized block. Which I ate in its entirety. Fast-forward past the bouncing-off-the-walls stage to the Mu-uuummm I don’t feel so goo … *spew* stage. Such a delightful child.
Even today, everyone knows better than to leave chocolate unsupervised in my presence. Chocolate is never stored in this house. Partly because it never lasts that long anyway, but mainly to prevent death by chocolate. Which is why working next door to a certain unnamed chain supermarket constantly selling two blocks of a certain unnamed chocolate for a paltry $5 is a health hazard.
I think they’re onto me though. They’ve recently added a security guard on the door under the pretence of handing shoppers a basket. However, I think he’s got my face on file and is watching, waiting for the day I crack and start rolling in mountains of chocolate in the confectionary aisle. Making chocolate angels and smearing chocolate all over myself. It won’t be too long now.
So when a cake recipe contains an entire jar of chocolate and hazelnut spread, Nutella, it’s best to have lots of accomplices to share it with. Lucky for me, the Cooking The Books crew were around to help at the Nigella Feast: Agnes, Cherrie, Michele, I-Hua, Kat, Thanh, Kat and Celeste.
If you’re a chocolate addict, or the type of person who eats spoonfuls of Nutella straight from the jar, then this is the cake for you. Nigella has packed so much chocolatey goodness into it, she advises not to attempt tipping it out of the cake tin. A springform pan is essential for containing the mega amount of Nutella in this cake.
This is a chocolate lovers dream. The cake is basically a whole jar of Nutella spread, melted chocolate and butter held together with a little egg and hazelnut meal. It’s topped with a rich chocolate ganache and whole roasted hazelnuts. Serve with dollops of cream and, in true Domestic Goddess style, shot glasses filled with Frangelico.
NUTELLA CAKE
You Will Need:
6 large eggs, separated
Pinch of salt
125g unsalted butter, room temperature
400g jar of Nutella
1 tablespoon Frangelico, rum or water
100g Hazelnutmeal
100g Dark chocolate, finely chopped
Ganache:
100g Hazelnuts
125ml Double Cream
1 tablespoon Frangelico, rum or water
125 Dark Chocolate, finely chopped
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a 23cm Springform cake tin.
Melt the chocolate carefully in the microwave, or use a double-boiler if you’re afraid of burning it. Allow to cool. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. In a separate large bowl, beat the Nutella and softened butter together. Add the egg yolks, hazelnutmeal and Frangelico. Stir in the melted chocolate. Add 1/3 of the egg whites to the mixture and stir in. You can be as forceful as you like, as the chocolate mixture is just being loosened at this stage. Next, gentle fold in the remaining egg whites in two separate additions.
Pour the mouse-like batter into the springform tin and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the cake starts to come away from the sides. Allow it to cool completely in the tin, right-side-up.
Meanwhile, prepare the ganache. Add the cream, liqueur and chopped chocolate to a saucepan. Heat gently until the chocolate completely melts. Remove from the heat and whisk until you get the consistency you want to frost the cake. I left mine a little runny so I could pour it over the cake. Gently release the cake from the sides of the springform tin but leave the base on. Only ice your cake once it is completely cool. Dot the top of the icing with whole hazelnuts while still wet.
Adapted from Nigella Lawson’s How to Be a Domestic Goddess.
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