Dark Chocolate & Hazelnut Bundt Cake

My go to dessert combination will always be chocolate and hazelnut. Whether in cake, cookie, or bar form it is by far one of the most delicious flavour combinations out there.

I remember as a little girl, my parents or grandma would always go to a Croatian delicatessen and buy these creamy, smooth, sweet chocolate and hazelnut mini bars called Bajadera.

It was so easy to go from eating one of these to looking down and noticing the whole box was devoured. Slowly over the years, the adults knew better and went from buying the 200g box to the 500g box.

My goal is to one day be able to replicated Bajadera into little paleo treats for me and my family to enjoy but right now I do my best to incorporate hazelnuts and chocolate into most of my desserts.

This cake takes those flavour combinations and gives them a more sophisticated twist. This dessert is less sweet than most. I wanted it to be more on the salty, nutty, savoury side with bursts of sweetness. If you are a lover of dark chocolate, salt, and hazelnuts this is your go to cake.

The cake base itself is moist due to the olive oil with flavours of intense and velvety rich dark cacao and chopped toasted hazelnuts. Then topped with a sweet, smooth, irresistible salted hazelnut caramel and more chopped toasted hazelnuts.

---

dark chocolate, olive oil & hazelnut bundt cake

---

INGREDIENTS:

Cake

• ¼ cup almond flour

• 2 tablespoon tapioca flour

• 66 grams (½ cup) cacao powder, sifted (I reccomend weighing your cacao powder to get a more accurate measurement)

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup chopped hazelnut, divided

• 3 eggs, room temperature

• ½ cup good quality olive oil

• ½ cup coconut milk

• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Hazelnut Caramel

• ½ cup hazelnut butter

• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ¼ teaspoon salt

1/2 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Start by preheating your oven to 350F/175C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread out your whole hazelnuts. Bake in the oven until the "skin" starts falling away from the nut and they a lightly browned. This should take between 8 - 10 minutes. Watch the hazelnuts closely so they don't burn.

2. While you are waiting for your hazelnuts to roast, grab a bundt pan and grease with olive oil. Make sure to get all the edges and creases so that the cake won't stick to your pan. Set aside.

3. Remove from the oven and carefully wrap in a kitchen towel to steam for 1 minute. Rub nuts in the towel to remove loose skins. It is okay if some of the skins are left behind. Chop the hazelnuts and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, cacao powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Once you chopped your hazelnuts, add 1/2 cup of them to the dry mixture and mix well.

5. In a separate bowl, add the eggs, olive oil, coconut milk, and maple syrup. Whisk until the eggs are broken up. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixing bowl and whisk until all the ingredients come together.

6. Pour the batter into your bundt pan and bake for 22 - 28 minutes or until the sides are set and the top of the cake still looks slightly moist. A cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean or with just a few crumbs on it. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

7. While you are waiting for your cake to bake, you can move on to the caramel. Add all the ingredients for the caramel in a pot and heat on a low temperature on the stove top. Using a whisk combine all the ingredients. Immediately move the pot off the heat once all of the ingredients are incorporated and you have a smooth caramel sauce. Place the caramel into a container and place in the fridge.

8. Carefully run a thin knife along the edges of your bundt cake that are visible from the top. You are just trying to loosen it up as much as possible before flipping the cake oven on a pan. Grab a plate that is big enough for the cake and place it on top of your bundt pan. In one quick swoop, holding the plate and the pan, flip the cake over. If greased properly, the cake should release from the pan and be settled on the plate.

9. To decorate your cake take the caramel out of the fridge. This caramel is a little temperamental when it comes to heat. You want your caramel to be running but not so runny that it drips off the cake. I heated mine on the stove top on a very low heat and took it off the heat when it came to the right consistency. To test it, I used a spoon. The caramel should coat the back of the spoon and drizzle off the spoon nicely once lifted out of the caramel.

10. Make sure your cake is cooled and then drizzle with the caramel. Once the caramel is on the cake, top with the remaining 1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts. Viola - time to enjoy this sophisticated, delicious dessert!