BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE
If I’m asked to bake for a dinner party or a school fundraiser, this is without fail what I’ll bring (using the nut-free variation for school). It’s probably my most universally-loved recipe and one that even a beginner cook can handle. It’s loaded with protein and goodness thanks to the eggs and nuts, plus it’s gluten-free. Welcome to your new go-to chocolate cake recipe – I’m happy to bet it’s the only one you’ll use from now on.
Ingredients
150g butter, cubed (see Tips)
200g quality 70% dark chocolate, broken into pieces (see Tips)
140g (2/3 cup) brown sugar (see Tips)
5 eggs
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
200g (2 cups) hazelnut meal or almond meal (use whole nuts for Thermomix version) (see Variation for nut-free option)
1/2 tsp baking powder (gluten-free if needed)
Maca powder or raw cacao, for dusting (optional) (see Tips)
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a round cake tin (20cm). Line base with baking paper and set aside.
- Gently melt butter and chocolate (either in a heavy-based saucepan over stovetop or in a microwave-proof bowl in the microwave), stirring occasionally, until just melted and smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk sugar, eggs and vanilla until combined. Add melted chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add hazelnut meal and baking powder, and stir until just combined.
- Pour mixture into prepared tin. Bake for about 45 minutes or until just cooked (cake will appear slightly soft in the centre). Allow to cool in tin for 15 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with raw cacao or maca powder (if using) before serving.
THERMOMIX METHOD
- Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a round cake tin (20cm). Line base with baking paper and set aside.
- Place hazelnuts/almonds into mixing bowl and chop 10 sec/speed 7. Transfer into a bowl and set aside.
- Place chocolate into mixing bowl and grate 20 sec/speed 8. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula. Add butter and melt 2 min 30 sec/80°C/speed 1. Add sugar, baking powder, eggs, vanilla and reserved nuts and mix 10 sec/speed 4. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula and mix 5 sec/speed 4.
- Pour mixture into prepared tin. Bake for about 45 minutes or until just cooked (cake will appear slightly soft in the centre). Allow to cool in tin for 15 minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with raw cacao or maca powder (if using) before serving.
Tips
- If you prefer, you can replace half of the butter with oil, such as hazelnut oil, macadamia oil or a lighter-flavoured extra virgin olive oil. Simply add the oil with the eggs in step 3.
- If you prefer you can use a less-refined sugar such as rapadura (panela) or coconut sugar. (Note, the weights of these sugars can vary, so the gram measurement will be more accurate than the cup measurement.) However, your cake will be considerably less sweet than if you use regular brown sugar.
- I prefer chocolates with a higher cocoa content because they tend to have less sugar and more polyphenols. However, if you’re using rapadura or coconut sugar (instead of regular brown sugar), you might like to use a chocolate with a lower cocoa content to compensate for the reduced sweetness.
- Maca is a vegetable from the brassica family and is a source of protein, fibre, iron, calcium and potassium. You can buy maca powder from some supermarkets and health food stores. It makes a nourishing alternative to icing sugar for a pretty dusted look.
Variation
Nut-free chocolate cake: Omit the 200g nut meal and replace with 50g pepitas, 50g linseeds, 50g sunflower seeds and 50g desiccated coconut (or 200g of your preferred seed mix), placed into a food processor or high-powered blender (eg Thermomix) and processed to a fine consistency (similar to nut meal). Add this ground seed coconut mixture in step 3 in place of the hazelnut meal.
