No, this isn't angel food.
The cake includes the richness of egg yolks, warm toasty hazelnuts and yes, a whole jar of Nutella.
But all those wonderfully rich ingredients are buoyed by light-as-a-feather whipped egg whites and baked to airy perfection.
Did I mention mixing in just the tiniest dose of brandy?
It's all about balance, people.
Ingredients:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the baking pan
- All-purpose flour, for the baking pan
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 3/4 cup skinned hazelnuts, lightly toasted
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 13-ounce jar chocolate-hazelnut spread, such as Nutella, at room temperature
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon brandy
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch spring-form pan. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Let it cool slightly. Grind the hazelnuts in a food processor until they are fine, but not pasty.
- In a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until they are foamy. Add the sugar, and beat until the whites form stiff peaks, about 2 minutes. In a clean bowl, with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and chocolate-hazelnut spread until light, about 2 minutes. Add the yolks, salt and brandy, and mix until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and ground hazelnuts, and mix until smooth. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
- Stir about a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, and then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Don’t over mix. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes, then open the spring and remove the side ring. Let the cake cool thoroughly before serving. Slide a broad metal spatula, or two, under the cake to separate it from the metal pan bottom, then lift and set the cake on a serving plate.
Recipe provided by Lidia Bastianich.
