Hazelnut Flour Cake Recipe

This impressive-looking hazelnut flour cake topped with chocolate hazelnut ganache is a hazelnut lover's dream. Topped with caramelized nuts, this cake is the indulgence at its finest. And this recipe is just so easy to make!

Today is the turn of my favorite hazelnut flour cake. It combines the nutty taste of the cake biscuit with the chocolate hazelnut ganache.

Add caramelized hazelnuts to the bite, and you will get the most harmonized taste in the mouth.

This brick-looking cake has such an organized shape and beautiful texture that delights the eyes.

Chocolate hazelnut ganache piped into parallel laces upgrades a simple loaf cake into the celebration one.

If you follow the blog, you have probably noticed that I do not like to leave loaf cakes plain. Once I baked a Banana Bread, I made a streusel on top.

When I made a Raspberry Almond Cake, I covered it with the white chocolate dried raspberry glaze.

And when I made Gingerbread Loaf Cake, I sprinkled it with crumbled speculoos cookies and topped with dried fruit.

Hazelnuts: what are they good for?

Hazelnuts not only add a nutty flavor to baking goodies but also contain a vital amount of nutrients. 

Like many other nuts, they are a great energy source, providing proteins, fibers, and minerals, for example, calcium.

Hazelnuts also supply healthy fats that help lower bad cholesterol levels and raise good cholesterol levels. 

Their antioxidants help the body to eliminate free radicals, preventing the formation of cancerous cells.

And yes, these nuts are very caloric. Ideally, eat hazelnuts on their own or add to sweet preparations, especially chocolate.

This classic combination of chocolate and hazelnut goes perfectly together while making the desserts.

Why you should try this recipe

1. This hazelnut ganache cake recipe is simple and easy to make.
2. A beautiful and tasteful hazelnut and chocolate combo is for Nutella lovers: if you love Nutella, this cake is just for you!
3. The recipe guides to how to make hazelnut ganache, one of the most delicious ones.
4. This simple hazelnut ganache cake makes a perfect dessert for a special event, such as a birthday.

Ingredients:

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

Hazelnut flour/meal: use a store-bought hazelnut flour/meal or make ground hazelnuts yourself using a food processor.

Use roasted nuts with their skins on for better color and flavor. Be careful not to over-grind hazelnuts; otherwise, you will get nut butter.

Brown sugar: use golden brown sugar to make the cake.

Eggs: the recipe calls for large eggs. Separate egg whites from egg yolks while the eggs are chilled. You will probably love this beneficial tool - an egg separator.

Icing sugar: make it yourself using a coffee grinder or use store-bought powdered sugar.

Flour: all-purpose flour is also used for this recipe.

Baking powder: be sure to use fresh aluminum-free baking powder.

Butter: the recipe calls for unsalted butter. No need to take it out of the fridge in advance: you will melt it.

Salt: just a pinch of salt is what you need here.

Sugar: use either granulated white sugar or caster sugar.

Whipping cream: use whipping cream with 35% fat content.

Nutella hazelnut spread: nothing is special here. Yes, the well-known Nutella hazelnut spread is used to make the most delicious ganache to decorate the cake.

Hazelnut praline paste: please, either make it yourself or use a store-bought hazelnut praline.

Hazelnuts: these nuts are the stars of the cake. Either use store-bought roasted hazelnuts or roast nuts yourself.

How to make hazelnut flour cake

To make the ganache, place Nutella and hazelnut praline paste in a bowl and mix with a hand whisk (photo 1).

Bring whipping cream to a boil and pour it into the chocolate/hazelnut mixture and mix with the hand whisk until homogeneous (photo 2).

Cover the bowl with plastic film in contact and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 300 F/150 C. To make the cake batter, place hazelnut flour, brown sugar, and icing sugar in a bowl of the stand mixer and mix dry ingredients.

Gradually add egg white, then egg yolks, and continue to beat (photo 3).

Add salt, sifted all-purpose flour, baking powder, and mix (photo 4).

Melt butter and slowly add to the preparation. Mix until the batter is smooth and homogeneous (photo 5). Transfer it to a regular bowl.

In a separate bowl, place ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons/110 g egg whites and whisk them until soft peaks.

Gradually add 1 tablespoon/15 g granulated sugar and whisk with an electric mixer to get the meringue. (photo 6).

Gradually add the meringue to the principal preparation mixing with a rubber spatula (photo 7).

Butter a silicone loaf pan, and pour the batter into the mold (photo 8).

Bake for 45 minutes (photo 9). Remove the cake from the mold while it is warm. Let it cool on a wire rack.

To make caramelized hazelnuts, place the nuts in a non-stick frying pan and sprinkle them with icing sugar.

Heat over medium and mix until hazelnuts are coated with caramel. When the sugar is completely melted and incorporated, transfer the nuts to parchment paper (photo 10).

Separate caramelized hazelnuts while they are hot. Let cool down.

To decorate the cake, whip the cold ganache (photo 11) and place it in a pastry bag fitted with Ateco plain pastry tip 806.

Pipe the ganache into parallel laces on top of the cake. Arrange whole and halved caramelized hazelnuts over the ganache (photo 12). Refrigerate until serving. 

Expert tips

1. Follow this recipe to make Hazelnut Praline Paste yourself, or use a store-bought hazelnut paste.
2. To pipe the ganache easier, refrigerate it for a few minutes after whipping the ganache.
3. Decorate caramelized hazelnuts with edible gold leaf on top of the cake if you desire. 
4. Serve the cake right from the fridge. It is not supposed for the cake to stay on the table long: the ganache will lose its shape on top of the dessert.

Frequently asked questions

Love chocolate cakes? Try these next!

• French Meringue Cake Merveilleux
• Royal Chocolate Cake – Trianon
• Nutella Cake Roll
• Browse all the Cake Recipes

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