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Donal Skehan
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Mud Pie | DonalSkehan.com, The ultimate gluten-free chocolate cake recipe - and a snip to make!
  • desserts-baking

Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Mud Pie

April 16

A deep dark chocolate cake is the perfect dessert to celebrate any occasion. This one is unique in that it doesn’t require flour to bind it. Instead, it relies on ground almonds which makes it gluten-free but also results in a moist finish. With a glossy chocolate glaze and a topping of toasted hazelnuts this cake is a true showstopper. And if you use gluten-free chocolate this is suitable for coeliacs too!

  • serves Serves 8
  • time 60 mins

Method

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and line a 20cm/8" diameter spring-form tin with baking parchment.
  2. 2. For the mud pie, melt the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl sitting over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Remove the bowl from the heat and mix in the sugar, vanilla extract and ground almonds with a spatula. Stir through the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing after each addition, until you have a thick batter.
  3. 3. Put the egg whites in a standing food mixer (or use an electric hand-held mixer in a bowl) and whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add the egg whites to the chocolate batter and fold through gently until just combined.
  4. 4. Pour the chocolate batter into the prepared cake tin and place in the oven to bake for about 35 minutes until it is firm but with a slight wobble. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to sit on a wire rack to cool in its tin, before removing the tin to cool completely.
  5. 5. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl sat over a pan of just simmering water. When melted, remove from the heat, whisk in the icing sugar and the cream. Allow to cool until the mixture becomes thick enough to leave a figure of eight on the surface. Pour over the chocolate mud pie and then sprinkle with hazelnuts. Leave to set before slicing and serving.

Ingredients

For the cake:

8 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped

1 stick of butter, diced

7/8 cup of caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

7/8 cup of ground almonds

6 large eggs, separated

For the chocolate glaze

3.5 oz of good quality dark chocolate

1/4 stick of butter

1/2 cup of confectioner’s sugar, sifted

1/3 cup of heavy cream

1/2 cup of hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

For the cake:

225g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped

125g butter, diced

175g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g ground almonds

6 large eggs, separated

For the chocolate glaze

100g of good quality dark chocolate

30g of butter

50g of icing sugar, sifted

75ml of double cream

75g of hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

 

You'll Need

20cm/8″ diameter spring-form tin

Large heatproof bowl

Medium saucepan

Standing food mixer (or use an electric hand-held mixer in a bowl)

Wire rack

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