After a week of weather in the 90s, temperatures have suddenly plummeted, especially in Massachusetts. We’ve been plunged into autumn, just in time for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Incredibly, even though it falls so early this year, we’ll still be able to do our Rosh Hashanah tradition – apple picking! Though it felt like summer just three days ago or so, orchards have apples and it’s not too hot to pick ’em!
Lower temperatures also make baking start to sound appealing again. It’s traditional to eat sweet things on Rosh Hashanah, for a sweet new year, a sentiment that fuels the infamous apples and honey tradition. In years past, I’ve played with the apples and honey riff in my baking, but this year, I thought it might be nice to post something with chocolate. Because, as my dad reminded me recently, chocolate is appropriate for everything.
Granted, the cake itself actually does not contain any chocolate at all – it’s made of ground hazelnuts, brewed coffee, lots of butter, and sour cream. And it’s delicious. But the chocolate ganache that covers it is such an integral part of this cake that this is very much a chocolate hazelnut cake. I hope you enjoy it, and here’s to a sweet new year!
A couple notes about the recipe:
-This is a great way to use up leftover coffee that you’ve stuck in the fridge and forgotten about. (Does that happen to other people or just me?)
-Thin slices of this cake are very satisfying, so it serves quite a few people.
-The secret to a good chocolate ganache is to use a good chocolate!
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
For the cake:
Dry ingredients:
- ½ cup sorghum flour
- ½ cup gluten-free oat flour
- ⅔ cup hazelnut meal
- 1/2 cup millet flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot starch
- 1 teaspoon flaxseed meal
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
Wet ingredients:
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¾ cup very firmly-packed brown sugar
- ½ cup sour cream (I used lactose-free)
- ½ cup brewed coffee
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
Directions:
Butter a 9×2 inch round cake pan and preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix together the dry ingredients and set aside.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the sugars, sour cream and coffee. Use a fork to beat in the eggs. Add the dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 35 minutes. When the cake is done, the edges will be very browned and pulling away from the sides of the pan and the cake will be lightly browned all over. The middle will feel firm to the touch. Let the cake cool for a few minutes in the pan, then cut around the sides of the cake and invert. Let cool completely before covering with the chocolate ganache.
For the chocolate ganache:
- 6 ounces good quality semisweet chocolate
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
- 3 ounces unsweetened almond milk, heated just until it is about to simmer
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, until melted. Gradually pour in the hot almond milk, stirring as you go, until a smooth ganache is formed.
Cool to room temperature, then beat for a few minutes in an electric mixer until lightened a bit and fluffier. Pour over cake, spreading around top and sides. Garnish with raspberries and toasted hazelnuts. You could also use pomegranate seeds, for a more traditional Rosh Hashanah touch.
Leave a Reply