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.
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 dry 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 skinned 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, 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 dry sherry
Whip the double cream until soft peaks form, then whisk in the curd cheese.
250 ml double 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.
Notes
If using sweet sherry for the cream, you may not need to add any icing sugar. Test for sweetness and adjust as necessary.You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.Original Recipe By Diane Henry. Permission to adapt the recipe here on Tin and Thyme from Octopus Publishing.