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Chocolate-Hazelnut Cream Cake
This impressive and sumptuous special-occasion dessert, composed of two “go-to” recipes from Dominique Ansel’s book “Everyone Can Bake,” is easier to make than you might think. We did modify both his chocolate cake and the mascarpone whipped ganache, and we also added a coffee syrup for moistening the cake before assembly. We fold a chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella) into half of the whipped ganache to sandwich between the cake layers; the remaining whipped ganache is spread on top, creating a unique striped effect. The cake itself has the deepest, richest flavor and color when made with a good-quality dark Dutch-processed cocoa powder—we had the best results with Valrhona. Part of the beauty of this dessert is that the cake and filling can be made ahead; even after assembly, the dessert will hold nicely for up to 24 hours. We recommend making the ganache base and the cake a day in advance and refrigerating them separately. The following day, whip the ganache, assemble the dessert and refrigerate for at least two hours or for up to an entire day. For neat slices, cut the cake with a serrated knife that’s been warmed in hot water and wiped dry. To store leftovers, press plastic wrap directly against the cakes’ cut sides and refrigerate for up to two days.
12
Servings
Don’t whip the ganache before the mixture is completely cold and set. If whipped too soon, it won’t attain the proper light, fluffy volume. When spreading the whipped ganache on the top layer of cake, the less you manipulate it, the better. Overworking may cause the ganache to become grainy and lose its velvety smoothness. Finally, don’t allow the cake to stand for more than about 30 minutes before serving; if it loses too much of its chill, the filling softens and the layers may begin to slide apart.
1¾ hours
plus cooling and chilling
For the whipped ganache:
-
170
grams (6 ounces) white chocolate, finely chopped
Directions
-
01To make the ganache, put the white chocolate in a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the gelatin and 2 tablespoons water; set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium, combine the cream, mascarpone and honey. Cook, stirring often, until the mascarpone is fully melted and the mixture begins to bubble at the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the gelatin mixture and whisk until completely dissolved. Immediately pour the cream mixture over the white chocolate, then let stand for about 1 minute.
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GET DIGITAL & PRINTAlthough the recipe looks challenging, bear in mind it's just long—but not hard.
I didn't have honey so I subbed-in agave nectar but otherwise followed the measurements to the gram and the steps to the letter and the results were picture perfect: moist and deeply flavorful cake, rich and creamy ganaches, and a combined flavor profile that was chocolatey, smooth, rich, and decadent. I made this for my mother's 80th birthday and she was *gushing*.
Gelatin, show us the future!
This cake wasn't necessarily a bad cake, it just wasn't the best tasting cake I have ever had. I mean, the cake didn't taste very chocolate-y, and the Nutella filling didn't taste like hazelnuts or chocolate. The coffee syrup seemed a little excessive, when I cut off the cake scraps and tasted them they seemed plenty moist. All I could taste in the cream was the cheese, so it immediately just tasted like a cannoli. I accidentally dropped a cake and turned it's crumbs into a cream cake that had more and better flavor than this. I guess if you are willing to waste about a day's work on a cake that doesn't have much flavor, then sure, I recommend this cake.
Fantastic recipe. The directions were extremely clear and I was able to follow along even though I had two child "helpers" baking along with me. I used vanilla instead of coffee to flavor the simple syrup, but otherwise made no changes. The cake tasted great and sliced beautifully. I enjoyed the whipped ganache had a wonderful texture, although it was extremely rich.
Delicious cake! In spite of the time and special ingredients needed, still worth making at least once, in my opinion. But there is a mistake in the step by step demo instructions. For the soaking syrup, it says to use 1 1/2 cups of sugar, waaay more than the 1/3 cup listed on the main page.
Hi Marianne -
You can certainly substitute with almonds for the garnish, but you will need to either find a chocolate-almond spread that is similar to the Nutella called for in the recipe or make your own. There are lots of recipes out there for homemade non-hazelnut Nutella you could try!
Best,
The Milk Street Team
The cake is sitting in the fridge now. I unfortunately overbeat the ganache and wound up with a cottage cheese looking mess. There was no saving it, and I had no time (nor the inclination) to remake the ganache. I had to substitute a mascarpone/whipped cream frosting. I added the Nutella to half of it. I added less Nutella to the rest of it because it needed more sugar and I didn't want to whip the frosting any more than I did. From the crumbs that I managed to eat and the 'not ganache' frosting, the cake tastes delicious.
As a comment, I would not recommend whipping the ganache 5 minutes. Mine would have been fine at about 3.5 minutes, but I thought I'd better follow directions. What I will do is cover the top of the cake with some ground hazlenuts, a bit of espresso/cocoa powder, and a bit of powdered sugar.
Has anyone thought about using Frangelico liqueur with espresso powder instead of the sugar syrup? Next time, I'm going to try that.
I can’t wait to make this cake! I do not use gelatin. Can I substitute agar agar - or just leave out the gelatin. thanks!
Hi Louise -
We haven't tested this cake with agar agar and, unfortunately, we don't recommend substituting it 1:1 for gelatin since it creates a firmer gel more quickly (and at room temperature). We also didn't try the ganache without the gelatin since that was the key to Dominique Ansel's recipe. That being said, you could probably leave it out and just have a whipped ganache frosting in between the layers. In that case, though, we would probably recommend keeping the cake refrigerated to keep the ganache from softening.
Best,
The Milk Street Team
The ganache is fantastic! A cross between whipped cream and frosting. I substituted dark chocolate for white chocolate. It turned out fine but without the strong color difference between layers. I also made my own hazelnut/chocolate mix to avoid the palm oil in Nutella. That seemed to work well.