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Hazelnut chocolate cake

Here’s another treat to serve straight up at teatime or in a more indulgent and pudlike manner. If you can’t find ready-ground hazelnuts, you can always grind whole nuts in a food processor – in fact, we like the slightly coarser texture you get when you prepare them this way. The cake also works well with ground almonds.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Line a 20cm springform cake tin with baking parchment and brush very lightly with oil.

Thoroughly combine the ground hazelnuts, baking powder and cocoa and set aside.

Put the eggs, sugar and honey into the bowl of a free-standing mixer (or use a hand-held electric whisk in a regular bowl) and whisk together for 4–5 minutes until very thick, pale and foamy and roughly tripled in volume. The mixture should hold a trail on the surface when you lift the beaters.

Add the hazelnut mix to the bowl and continue to whisk while you trickle in the oil. Keep whisking for 30–60 seconds until the mix is thoroughly combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and level it out. Bake for 20 minutes or until just firm to the touch in the centre (it will remain quite shallow). A skewer inserted in the

middle of the cake should come out clean.

Leave to cool completely in the tin then remove and carefully peel away the lining paper. Serve in slices, just as it is or with a topping of your choice!

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Ingredients

  • 50ml rapeseed or sunflower oil, plus extra for oiling
  • 150g ground hazelnuts (or almonds)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 1 tablespoon runny honey

This recipe is taken from...

River Cottage Light and Easy