Sherry Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
If you’re after a sumptuous dinner party dessert, this sherry chocolate hazelnut cake is it. Rich and velvety, the cake melts in your mouth most delightfully, but with bursts of nutty crunchiness to surprise you out of your revery. Serve warm or at room temperature, with or without sherry raisin cream.
As part of my review process for the book Crazy Water Pickled Lemons I felt I needed to make one of the recipes. No surprise that I chose a chocolate cake – a hazelnut and sherry one. And a very good cake it is too.
Sherry Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Chocolate and hazelnuts are the key flavours in this cake. But the sherry plays an important part too. Ideally, use a dry fino sherry for the cake and oloroso for the cream. Oloroso is a dark and nutty sherry produced by oxidative aging.
I had neither of these, so I used a fairly bog standard sweet sherry.
When it comes to hazelnuts, it’s really useful to have ready skinned ones. I didn’t, so I skinned them myself. To do this, toast the hazelnuts under a hot grill for about six minutes. Leave to cool slightly, then place in a clean tea towel and rub of their skins.
You need to separate the eggs and whisk the whites on their own. You should always do this last. But I hate having to wash up my beaters half way through a process, so I do it first, making sure everything else is pretty much ready to go when I’ve finished.
The cake rose beautifully. I was expecting it to sink like a souffle, but luckily, it sank just enough to gave a pleasingly level top.
This is one for the adults. It’s rich, dark and slightly bitter. In fact, it almost borders on the savoury. The crunchy pieces of hazelnut provide an interesting contrast to the smooth crumb of the cake.
As for the sherry raison cream, it’s delicious in its own right and we could have happily eaten the bowlful. It enhances the flavour of the cake and brings out its fruity notes. This sherry chocolate and hazelnut cake is an excellent dinner party dessert and despite its magnificence, it’s quite easy to make.
Other Boozy Cake Recipes You Might Like
- Almond apple cider cake
- Chocolate raisin ale cake
- Leftover advocaat cake
- Red wine chocolate cake
- Rum & raisin cupcakes
- Whisky & walnut cakes
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this sherry chocolate and hazelnut cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for making soufflé type cakes?
Please rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?
If you’d like more large cake recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Sherry Chocolate Hazelnut Cake. PIN IT.
Sherry Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 150 g dark chocolate (I used Green & Black's 72% cook's chocolate)
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 125 ml sherry (I used sweet sherry)
- 100 g hazelnuts skinned
- 60 g plain flour (all purpose flour) (2oz)
- 60 g cocoa powder (2oz)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
- 6 eggs separated
- 160 g golden caster sugar
Raisin Cream
- 100 g raisins
- 100 ml sherry dry oloroso is recommended (I used sweet sherry, but omitted the icing sugar)
- 250 ml double cream (heavy cream)
- 50 g low fat curd cheese (I used quark)
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
Instructions
Cake
- Place the chocolate, butter and sherry in a pan over a very low heat until the butter and chocolate are melted. Give an occasional stir and make sure the chocolate doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pan. Leave to cool for a bit.150 g dark chocolate, 75 g unsalted butter, 125 ml sherry
- Meanwhile toast the hazelnuts under a hot grill for about 5 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool a little, then roughly chop.100 g hazelnuts
- Set the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).
- Weigh out and sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.60 g plain flour (all purpose flour), 60 g cocoa powder, ½ tsp baking powder, 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff with electric beaters.6 eggs
- Using the same beaters, quickly beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and creamy.160 g golden caster sugar
- Beat in the chocolate mixture.
- Stir in 75g of the hazelnuts, reserving the rest for later.
- Fold in the flour alternately with spoonfuls of the egg white until everything is just incorporated.
- Pour into a greased 23cm round cake mould or lined tin and and bake for 40 minutes. Test for doneness with an inserted skewer. If it comes out more or less clean, it’s done. Otherwise pop it back in the oven for a further five minutes or so.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. The cake will rise rather spectacularly, but will deflate as it cools.
Raisin Cream
- Place the raisins into a small pan and cover with the sherry. Bring to a near simmer, then turned off the heat and leave the raisins to soak until cold.100 g raisins, 100 ml sherry
- Whip the double cream until soft peaks form, then whisk in the curd cheese.250 ml double cream (heavy cream), 50 g low fat curd cheese
- Stir in the plumped up raisins and sherry.
- Sift in the icing sugar, if using and stir it in.2 tbsp icing sugar
- Place the cake onto a serving plate and dust lightly with icing sugar.
- Scatter the reserved hazelnuts over the top, then dust again with icing sugar.
- Serve with a large dollop of the sherry raisin cream.
sounds delightful – some of my favourite ingredients – and it looks so rich and fudgy – just wish I had a dinner party to make this for 🙂
Thank you Karen, you always say such nice things. I expect you remember seeing the picture on my last post 😉
I thought I had been here and had a slice of this cake, but NO I seem to have missed it! LOVELY looking cake with fabulous ingredients, and ingredients I love too….
Oooh Choclette, what a crumb! Hasn’t it held its shape well given all those eggs! Just beautiful…
Thanks Celia, yes it worked much better than I was expecting.
This looks amazing and the last photo is brilliant – so inviting 🙂 I’ve got this book on my wishlist but I feel guilty as I still have a few untouched books on the shelf!
Cook books are just so difficult to resist Roz.
Mr CC would love this – he’s a fan of bitter chocolate. It looks beautiful – love the cut slice photo
Thanks CC – maybe Mr CC might be seeing something similar for V-day?
What a fabulous cake – definitely one to make. It’s so good to have a large repertoire of chocolate cakes – there can never be too many.
Regarding your comment on my blog – how could I possibly have forgotten Hugh!
Don’t think I’m in any danger of running out of new chocolate cakes in the near future. Everytime I think I’m getting close to what is possible, I spot another ten or so 😉
Thank you – we still have some left over a week old and it’s still not horribly dry.
Thanks for entering the giveaway – I hope you get the chance of trying them too! The texture of this cake looks great, so fudgy and moist – yum!
I love the idea of using sherry in the cake – would give it a really nice tang.
Interesting how sherry isn’t used much in baking – it should be really.
Ohhhhhhhhhh, look at how moist and brownie like that is mmmmmmmmmmm!
Looks like a brownie but tastes very different. With my sweet tooth, I’d probably pick a brownie over this one if I couldn’t have a piece of both, but this really was very good.
Ooh I’ve been waiting for this recipe – it looks beautifully moist and delicious. I love hazelnuts and chocolate, and can imagine the sherry works wonderfully with both.
Little Loaf, this is a really good one – as long as you’re not expecting anything too sweet!
Great sounding dessert – especially with that cream on the side.
Yes Phil, good point. This would make an excellent dinner party dessert.
Wow Choclette – that looks and sounds amazing! I love the idea of all the different flavours in there complementing one another and the texture looks superb – really moist and chocolate-y! Yum!
Thank you C. It never ceases to amaze me just how many combinations you can have in a chocolate cake and they are all so different.
This is a cake that looks dark, rich and very grown up! Love the sherried raisins idea. I think it must taste heavenly!
Laura, thank you. A small slice of this goes a long way. Luckily the cake keeps really well!!! The sherried raisins are delicious.
Thats one to ear mark for a special occasion, it looks so decadent and moist. x
Susan this really is a special occasion cake – not one to be downed just by CT and myself. But it is lasting a good long while!
It looks wonderful with moist and smooth crumb.
Thank you Angie. Yes it was. I hate it when cakes just disintegrate when you cut into them.
Yummy! looks deliciously perfect! I love chocolate cakes especially with some alcohol added in the recipe. I’m book marking this recipe!
Apart from sherry trifle, it’s quite unusual to use this particular alcoholic beverage in baking.
OH MY…. What a perfect cake, I’m really going to have to bake this one and even buy the book if this is the standard of recipe! Jude x
Ah, thank you Jude. There are some great recipes in the book, but not much on the baking front.
The cake looks brilliant – a wonderful shot!
Thanks Cakeboule. My photography skills leave much to be desired, but I do try – most of the time!
At the risk of sounding like a teenager: OMG. That looks awesome and as you say very adult. I am still in awe of your prolific baking, yum
Thanks Oxslip, your comment made be chuckle.
Now that sounds awesome! I don’t think its too hard to stray from perfection when chocolate and hazelnuts are combined, especially in cake form.
Agree wholeheartedly Chele, although I still haven’t managed to get myself some frangelico!
I am dying for this cake after reading your description. Dark, bitter, rich and bordering savoury sounds right up my street! Always love the addition of alcohol in a cake too.
Hi Hazel, this made me laugh. You always seem to like my more unusual posts. Thanks for leaving such great comments.
Wow, this cake looks really special. I find that often this type of cake can sink in the middle, so it is nice to see a level top. I think this would make a really elegant birthday cake for a chocolate lover.
Charlotte
@gofreecakes
Thank you Charlotte. You’re right, this would be a good b/day cake for a chocolate lover, but is probably too intense to be a real crowd pleaser.
Thank you Katie. I was quite excited to see how the sherry would work – very well is the answer 🙂
That looks like a wonderful cake. I’m intregied by the sherry flavour, you don’t see that in cakes much apart from trifle. Looks lovely and moist and fudgy. Yum!
Amazing cake! So much chocolate!!!
I just found your blog and I loved it! Am a happy follower now! Visit me at:
my-greek-cooking.blogspot.com
Hope to c u around!
Thank you Elpinki and thanks for following too. Not much point having a chocolate blog if I can’t have lots of chocolate 😉
The recipe sounds delicious and you make it look very good too!
Thank you Suelle. This doesn’t have to much butter in for the size of cake, but I wonder how it would turn out using oil instead – probably very well.
This is so bizarre – here i am sitting at work drinking my homemade smoothie, into which i’d thrown some sunflower seeds, pumpkins seeds and hazelnuts. I thought to myself, I really like hazelnuts I wonder what I can bake using them. Went onto my blog to check up on my bloglist and immediately came across this recipe. I’ll be making this, this weekend. Thanks!
It’s great the way things work sometimes. Your smoothie sounds a lot more healthy than chocolate cake. But as chocolate cake goes, this one isn’t so bad!
god, it looks like it has that wonderful dense quality in a chocolate cake that I adore… really looks wonderful… nice work Chocolate Bitch!!
Dom – I’m wagging my finger at you!!