Crispy Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut Cream by Alison Roman
This recipe for Crispy Chocolate Cake is by Alison Roman and in her book - Nothing Fancy - page 288-289. This cake is slightly sweet and fluffy. It is perfectly airy and subtle enough that you can load your slice up with the hazelnut cream without feeling too bad. I have served the cake with the cream on top, but you can also serve the cake on its own to keep the top crisp and have the cream on the side. I use eating quality chocolate, usually Lindt dark or dark with salted caramel which is always in my pantry for my brown butter cookies.
Side Notes
Cost of non-staples: $8
Serves: 8
Ingredients
113g unsalted butter
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons caster sugar
200g dark chocolate
1/2 cup Nutella, hazelnut spread, almond butter, or tahini
6 large eggs, 4 separated & 2 whole
1/2 cup almond flour
2 tbsp dutch cocoa powder
1 tsp salt (kosher or sea salt)
TOPPING
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 pinch kosher salt (or sea salt)
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Nutella
My Pantry Staples
butter
sugar
nutella
eggs
almond flour
dutch cocoa
salt
icing sugar
The Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with softened butter or nonstick cooking spray. (You can use any 9-inch cake pan, but line it with parchment paper with some overhang so you can easily remove the finished cake.) Sprinkle the inside with sugar and rotate the pan to coat the bottom and sides evenly.
To make the cake: Combine the chocolate, Nutella, and butter in a large heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a small pot of simmering water and heat, stirring often, until the chocolate and butter have melted and you can stir everything together to a smooth, creamy mixture. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Separate 4 of the eggs, placing the whites in a large mixing bowl. Place the yolks in another large bowl and add the hazelnut flour, cocoa powder, salt, and the remaining 2 whole eggs and whisk to blend well. Using a spatula, gently and gradually mix the egg yolk mixture into the melted chocolate mixture.
With the mixer on high, beat the egg whites. When they start to get light and foamy, gradually add ¾ cup sugar, a tablespoon or two at a time, and continue to beat until egg whites have tripled in volume and are light, fluffy, opaque, and hold stiff peaks.
Using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until just combined and no obvious white streaks remain. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the top looks puffed and lightly cracked, like a soufflé (it should still have a little jiggle), 35 to 40 minutes.
Let cool completely (if you have a wire rack, use it). During this time, something seemingly tragic will happen—the center of the cake will collapse, causing further cracking around the edges. This is the intended effect, so don’t worry—it’s where those crispy edges come from, the reason we are all here.
Prepare the topping: Using an electric mixer, whip the cream, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until you’ve got medium-stiff peaks, then whisk in the sour cream. For a streaky effect, fold in the Nutella using a spatula or if, you know, who cares, just whisk it in. Use this mixture to top the cake, but I prefer to eat it on the side (so as to not ruin the cake’s crispy texture).
TIP: Do ahead - You can bake this cake up to 2 days ahead, wrap it tightly, and store at room temperature.
