Apple, Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake Recipe at MyDish

Apple, Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake

5 stars based on 4 reviews Rate this Recipe

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 160°C and grease and base-line a 20cm round or square cake tin.
  • If the hazelnuts have their skins on, roast in the oven on a small baking tray for 10 minutes at 200 degrees C. Remove from the oven, tip into a clean tea towel and rub the skins off whilst the nuts are still warm (it doesn’t matter if they don’t all come off completely). Then leave to cool. If using blanched hazelnuts, there is no need to do this step.
  • Break the chocolate into pieces and blitz in a mini chopper or a food processor. Do the same with the nuts (if using a food processor, you can blitz both together if you like, as there is more room). Peel and core the apples and cut into chunks (approx 1-2 cm).
  • Cream the soft butter and sugar together. Lightly beat the eggs in a cup, then add to the creamed mixture a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift in the flour and baking powder, and mix well. Then fold in the chopped apple, ground chocolate, ground nuts and 1 tbsp milk.
  • Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the centre. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out and cooling completely on a wire rack.
  • For the ganache, break the chocolate into pieces in a pyrex bowl. Put the cream into a small saucepan and heat until it just comes into a boil, then remove from the heat immediately and pour over the chocolate. Leave it to stand for a minute, then stir through until the chocolate has completely melted and the ganache is smooth and shiny.
  • Spread on top of the cake. Or, serve the ganache warm as a sauce to spoon over individual slices / squares.
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    Tips

    • You could also serve the cake warm with the warm ganache, as a dessert.

      The ganache makes this extra special, but it is also lovely plain, or with a dusting of icing sugar. When I made it last, I put ganache on half and left the other half plain!

      Keeps well for a few days in an airtight tin. If your kitchen is warm, best to put it in the fridge if you have used ganache.

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    Ingredients

    • 150 g Unsalted butter, softened
    • 150 g Caster sugar (normal or golden)
    • 3 Eggs
    • 150 g Plain flour
    • 1 tsp Baking powder
    • 1 tbsp Milk (any type)
    • 2 Apples (approx. 180g - 200g once peeled and cored)
    • 150 g Dark chocolate (70%)
    • 75 g Shelled hazelnuts (blanched, or with skins on)
    • 150 g Double cream
    • 150 g Dark chocolate (70%)

    By Views 874  Added Thu Oct 13 2011


    I think that the apples, hazelnuts and chocolate really complement each other well in this cake, and love the crunchy texture of the hazelnuts with the softness of the apple.