At the beginning of the summer I spotted a cake on twitter that I just couldn’t resist. It was a Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake by Ana Vega. The cake is not a dessert cake, its more like a breakfast cake or something perfect for an afternoon cup of tea. From Ana I later learned that the cake was a remake of her Plum cake corriente y moliente (plum cake with dried fruits). Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?. Ana runs the cake & dessert blog Biscayenne (all in Spanish) where she share recipes and stories from her tiny kitchen in Bilbao. She also has an online vintage shop with pretty cutlery, porcelain and other kitchenware.
I have now baked this cake several times and just a few weeks ago I added some black cherries to the cake. It made it very moist and delicious. The cherries worked really well with the dark chocolate. I can also imagine adding some banana but in the end its absolutely fine just as it is.
I have only made a few changes to the recipe: Instead of regular sugar I used brown sugar. I also reduced the sugar as I wanted a less sweet cake, which Ana also suggest when using fruit in the cake.
Ana’s Hazelnut Cake with Dark Chocolate
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 1 cake 1x
Description
This delightful hazelnut cake with dark chocolate is perfect for breakfast or an afternoon tea. The addition of black cherries or banana makes it extra moist and flavorful.
Ingredients
- 180g (7/8 cup) brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 250g (1 2/3 cup) flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 125g (a little more than 4 oz) butter
- 150g (1 cup) hazelnuts
- 60g (70%) (about 2 oz) dark chocolate
- Optional: black cherries or banana
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a cake pan.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Mill the hazelnuts finely in a food processor or nut grinder. If you don’t have either, chop them finely by hand.
- Chop the dark chocolate into small pieces.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Gradually add the melted butter to the egg mixture, mixing continuously.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. Gradually fold this into the wet mixture until just combined.
- Stir in the milled hazelnuts and chopped chocolate. If using, gently fold in black cherries or banana slices.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For a less sweet cake, reduce the sugar as suggested by Ana.
- Adding black cherries or banana enhances the cake’s moisture and flavor.
- Store the cake in an airtight container to maintain freshness.
- It’s perfect for breakfast or an afternoon tea treat.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: European
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 18
- Sodium: 120
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 35
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 75
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
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- Perfect Lemon Cake with Lemon Syrup
- Dark Chocolate Cherry Cake
- Fluffy Banana Chiffon Cake
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a dessert cake or a breakfast cake?
The article is clear that this is not a dessert cake — it is described as “more like a breakfast cake or something perfect for an afternoon cup of tea.” The author deliberately reduced the sugar from the original to make it less sweet, which Ana Vega (whose recipe this is based on) also recommends when adding fruit to the batter.
How finely do the hazelnuts need to be ground?
The instructions say to mill the 150g of hazelnuts “finely” in a food processor or nut grinder; if you have neither, chop them finely by hand. A fine grind distributes the hazelnut flavor evenly through the cake rather than leaving chunky pieces that sink to the bottom during baking at 350°F (175°C).
Can I add fruit to the batter, and what works best?
Yes — the article says the author added black cherries to the cake and found they made it “very moist and delicious,” pairing especially well with the 60g of 70% dark chocolate. Banana is mentioned as another option. Both are listed as optional in the ingredients. If using fruit, the author suggests also reducing the sugar a little to balance the added sweetness.
I think the amount for the brown sugar is incorrect.
180 grams or 6 1/3 lbs!
Can you reprint the recipe with cups as not all of us have a kitchen scale.
You’re right, that’s a typo missed in editing – 180 g brown sugar is about 7/8 cup. Thanks for noticing!
Sorry Suzy for the miss calculation! And thanks Kalle for correcting it! I will recalculate. However I can warmly recommend to buy a scale as its a more accurate measurement.