Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Ganache Meringue Buttercream

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Ganache Meringue Buttercream

I made this for my husbands birthday and it was a smashing success! If you follow everything to a T it’ll turn out great!

Ingredients

For the cake:

350 grams (12.3 ounces) cake flour

80 grams (2.8 ounces) cocoa powder, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1½ teaspoons salt

450 grams (15.8 ounces) granulated sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

270 milliliters (9.5 ounces) whole milk, at room temperature

1 tablespoon hazelnut extract

2 teaspoons vanilla bean extract

160 grams (5.6 ounces) unsalted butter, melted

250 milliliters (8.8 ounces) boiling water

For the gianduja swiss meringue buttercream:

250 grams (8.8 ounces)  milk chocolate,

110 grams (3.8 ounces dark chocolate,

195 grams (6.8 ounces) egg whites

280 grams (9.8 ounces) granulated sugar

500 grams (17.6 ounces) unsalted butter, very soft at room temperature

1 tablespoon hazelnut extract

2 teaspoons vanilla bean extract

¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

For the cake:

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C (350 F). Grease and line 3 x 18 cm (7 inch) or 2 (9in) cake tins with parchment paper. Set aside.

Sift the cake flour,  cocoa powder, baking powder, soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar.

Add in the eggs, milk, hazelnut extract and vanilla bean extract. Whisk to combine. Pour in the melted butter and whisk until just combined, then pour in the boiling water and whisk until smooth. The batter will be fairly liquid and runny.

Divide the cake batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until risen and the tops spring bake when lightly pressed. A cake skewer inserted into the middles of the cakes should also come out clean.

Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool in their tins for 15 minutes before turning out and onto a wire rack to let cool completely. Once the cakes have cooled, level off any domed tops with a serrated knife or cake leveler then set aside for assembly.

For the Ganache swiss meringue buttercream:

Place the finely chopped dark chocolate into two separate medium sized bowls set over saucepans of barely simmering water. Do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Heat each chocolate, stirring with a rubber spatula often, until smooth and melted. Remove the bowls from the heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk them together by hand to combine. Fill a medium saucepan with a few centimeters or inches with water and place it over medium-high heat. Set the mixer bowl over the saucepan to create a double boiler. Do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water.

Heat the egg and sugar mixture, whisking often, until it reaches 70 C (160 F) on a candy thermometer. The sugar should be completed dissolved and the mixture hot to the touch. Once the mixture is at temperature, carefully remove the mixer bowl from the heat and place it onto the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

Whisk the egg white mixture on high speed, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it holds medium to stiff peaks. The bowl should no longer be hot to the touch and the meringue should be glossy and cool. Stop mixing and swap out the whisk attachment for the beater attachment.

Set the mixer speed to medium-low. Add in the butter, a tablespoon at a time, until it is all incorporated. Beat in the hazelnut liqueur and vanilla bean extract and the melted and slightly cooled ganache and dark chocolate. Increase the mixer speed to high and continue to beat until the buttercream is thick, silky smooth and very fluffy, about 4 to 6 minutes.

For assembly:

To assemble the cake, place the first levelled cake layer, cut side facing up, on a cake stand or serving platter.

Use an offset spatula to spread about 3-4 tablespoons of the buttercream over the top of the cake. Gently press on the next cake layer and repeat by spreading over 3-4 tablespoons of the buttercream on the second cake layer. Top with the final cake layer, cut side facing down.

Spread a thin layer of the buttercream over the entire cake to coat it. Set the cake in the refrigerator so that the buttercream can harden – about 30 to 45 minutes. Once the buttercream has hardened, spread the remaining buttercream over the cake in a thick, smooth layer. Finally, place the cake again in the refrigerator to set the buttercream before serving, about an hour.

Before slicing and serving, you can decorate the cake with pesticide-free flowers, if desired. Seal them on-top of the cake with a dollop of any extra buttercream.

Original Recipe I left out the Praline and Hazelnut meal! Found this ^ to be more makeble with accessible ingredients!