Hazelnut and chocolate is one of the most popular sweet combinations around. We celebrate this pairing in the form of a truly delicious and incredibly pretty little cake made up of different layers. As the bases and fillings are not coated, this eye candy is one of the so-called naked cakes that show what they’re made of. If you’re not afraid of calories, you can start right away, because the vegan Hazelnut Chocolate Mousse Cake is very easy to make and doesn’t need any professional knowledge.
Ingredients
For a springform pan with Ø 18 cm (8–10 servings)
For the bases
- 150 g oat flour
- 100 g baking cocoa powder
- 1,5 tbsp milled flax or chia seeds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 400 ml plant milk of choice
- 50 g coconut sugar or other granulated sweetener
- 120 g pitted dates
- 40 g nut butter of choice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 40 g melted iChoc Planty Classic Chocolate
For the Hazelnut Chocolate Mousse
- 300 g silken tofu
- 240 g finely chopped iChoc Super Nut Chocolate
- 4 tbsp aquafaba (cooking liquid from a can of unsalted chickpeas)
For the ganache & topping
- 75 g broken iChoc Planty Classic Chocolate
- 1,5 tbsp water
- 1 pinch salt
- coarsely chopped and halved hazelnuts
How to make it
1. Preheat the oven to 160 ºC and layer the springform pan with parchment paper. You can make this cake with two or three layers. Ours consists of three. You can either bake the batter all at once and cut later or bake 1/3 of the batter in batches.
2. In a large bowl, mix oat flour, cocoa, milled seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. In a blender, mix milk, sugar, dates, nut butter and vanilla until smooth.
4. Add the wet to the dry ingrdients and blend until just combined. Add the melted chocolate and mix until just incoperated.
5. Pour either 1/3 of the batter or all of the batter into a cake tin and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. If you bake all the batter at once, it will take around 45–60 minutes. If you bake in batches, you need about 20 minutes for each third. Then allow to cool completely.
6. In the meantime, prepare the hazelnut mousse. First melt the finely chopped nut chocolate carefully in a bain-marie.
7. In a food processor, mix the tofu completely smooth. While the food processor is still running, pour in the melted chocolate and mix until combined. Transfer to a bowl.
8. In a separate bowl, whip the aquafaba as stiff and fluffy as possible. It may take a couple of minutes. Then pour about half of the whipped aquafaba onto the chocolate mixture and fold in gently. Add the rest of the aquafaba and repeat the process. Let rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
9. Once the cake has cooled, either cut it into three layers or, if you’ve baked three seperate bases, carefully straighten each base with a knife if domes have formed.
10. Just before assembling the cake, prepare the ganache by putting chocolate, water, and salt in a bain-marie until melted. Then mix together with a spoon or fork until you get a smooth ganache.
11. To assemble, place the first cake layer on a serving plate, then evenly spread half of the mousse on top. Carefully lay the second base on top and repeat spreading the mousse. Set the last base on top and finish with a thick layer of ganache.
12. Decorate the cake with some halved and coarsely chopped hazelnuts. Let the cake set in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.