Valetine's Day is just around the corner and to be ready, you'll need something with chocolate. And if you combine chocolate with hazelnuts, you'll create something mind-blowing.
How to make perfectly shaped cakes
The key to success is to use silicone molds. You just fill them with cake sponge and frosting, freeze them and when you remove the cakes from the molds, you'll get the best shape possible.
what is important while preparing the frosting
While working with silicone molds it's better to make your frosting a little bit runny. You should still be able to form a cake with it but it should soft enough so you avoid as many air bubbles as possible to make perfect shape of the cake.
how to make the shiny glaze
To make smooth shiny glaze, you need to use hand blender which will help you to make perfect emulsion. Then you can choose between dark, white, milk or ruby chocolate, this step is really up to you because all types of chocolate work quite similarly in this recipe. And finally, don't forget about gelatin, which helps the glaze set so it doesn't run down the cake.
serves 8
4 hours + chilling in fridge and freezing overnight
For the cake sponge:
2 eggs
1/2 cup / 100 g sugar
1/4 cup / 60 ml water
1/4 cup / 60 ml sunflower oil
90 g all-purpose flour
20 g cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
For the frosting:
400 g heavy cream
1/4 cup / 50 g sugar
10 g cocoa powder
3/4 cup / 120 g dark chocolate
100 g hazelnut paste
200 g mascarpone
For the glaze:
1 cup / 250 ml water
1/4 cup / 50 g sugar
100 g glucose syrup
1/2 teaspoon gelatin
100 g sweet condensed milk
1 cup / 160 g dark chocolate
To finish:
toasted hazelnuts crushed with caramel
whole hazelnuts
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
Step 2
Whisk the eggs with sugar at high speed for 7 minutes. Add the water, sunflower oil, flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Give it a quick mix and pour the batter into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-17 minutes.
Step 3
For the hazelnut frosting heat the cream with sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan. Put the chocolate in a bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Use a hand blender to make smooth emulsion and let it chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Step 4
When the cream-chocolate mixture is completely cooled, add the mascarpone with hazelnut paste and whisk for about one minute.
Step 5
Cut 16 circles out of the cake sponge. Fill half of the cake molds with the hazelnut frosting, add the cake sponge, press it down a little, add one more cake circle and add more frosting to fill all the remaining space in the molds. Put the cakes into the freezer overnight.
Step 6
For the glaze heat the water with sugar and glucose syrup. In a small bowl combine the gelatin with 2 tablespoons water and let it soak for about 5 minutes. Then mix the gelatin with the sugar syrup and transfer it into a bowl. Add the condensed milk with chocolate and use a hand blender to make smooth emulsion.
Step 7
Remove the cakes from the freezer, place them on a grid and pour them with your chocolate glaze. Let them chill for about 5 minutes, transfer them on cake boards, top with the remaining hazelnut frosting and sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts crushed with caramel.
Step 8
Let the cakes chill and unfreeze in the fridge for about 2-3 hours and serve.
