Mocha Hazelnut Marble Cake
Written by joythebaker on December 22, 2008 – 3:29 pm -
I need to talk to you about the holidays, about the parties, about the dress, and about the cocktails. I need to talk to you about how cake, how the right cake can make it all better.
I had the perfect holiday dress all picked out. This dress would get me through thick and thin, casual and dressy. It was a simple and sassy black dress. I could do it up with colorful tights and heels or tone it down with a cardigan and scarf. This dress could go from holiday family function to night on the town…
All was fine and good until the dress actually went out on the town. Correction- I went out on the town and… well… the dress didn’t survive.
Let’s just say, that after several glasses of wine, and various other spirits, I found myself (and my dress) rolling down a rainy concrete hill. Don’t worry. I wasn’t hurt. I was protected by a hearty belly full of booze and the three friends I rolled down the hill with. It was hilarious. Memories were made. Dresses were… torn.
I now know that holiday parties are dangerous. That lesson came at a steep price: one helluva hangover and one tragically torn dress.
With my holiday dress out of commission, I was in a serious bind this weekend. Yea… the “what am I going to wear!?” bind. I decided to not sweat it. I decided that if I waltzed into a party with a gorgeous cake, not a soul would be worried about what I was wearing…
Guess what?
I was totally right.
This cake saved me from wardrobe worries. I threw on jeans, a top and my favorite owl necklace and made an entrance proudly holding this cake in front of me.
The first thing I heard as I made my way in: “Joy is hear with cake!” and then came the hugs. Success!
Next year… I dunno… maybe I’ll buy two holiday dresses and use this cake for backup.
Mocha Hazelnut Marble Cake with Mocha Sour Cream Ganache
adapted from Dorie Greenspan
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, finely ground
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
9 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature, divided use
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup coffee (hot or cold)
1 teaspoon instant coffee, finely ground (or instant espresso powder)
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 12 cup Bundt pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Don’t place the pan on a baking sheet – you want the oven’s heat to circulate through the Bundt’s inner tube.
I toasted my whole hazelnuts in a 350 degree F oven for about 12-15 minutes or until they were fragrant. Once cool, I ground them until fine in my food processor.
Whisk together the flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder and salt.
Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Put 2 tablespoons of the butter, cut into 4 pieces, into the bowl, along with the chocolate, coffee and instant coffee. Heat the mixture, stirring often, until the butter and chocolate are melted and everything is smooth and creamy – keep the heat low so that the butter and chocolate don’t separate. Remove the bowl from the heat.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the remaining 2 sticks butter and the sugar at medium speed for about 3 minutes – you’ll have a thick paste; this won’t be light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. The mixture should look smooth and satiny. Beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients and the milk alternately, adding the dry mixture in 3 portions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients).
Scrape a little less than half the batter into the bowl with the melted chocolate and, using a rubber spatula, stir to blend thoroughly.
If you want to go for the gingko pattern, scrape all of the white batter into the pan and top with the chocolate and marble it minimally. If you want a more marbled pattern, alternate spoonfuls of the light and dark batter in the pan. When all the batter is in the pan, swirl a table knife sparingly through the batter to marble them.
Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the Bundt pan to a rack and let cool for 10 minutes before unmolding, then cool the cake completely on the rack.
Mocha Sour Cream Glaze
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature
Melt chocolate pieces in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until completely melted. Remove bowl from the double boiler situation.
Stir sour cream into the melted chocolate.
Add corn syrup and vanilla and continue to stir.
Slowly add the brewed coffee bit by bit, stirring to incorporate.
This will be a thick glaze. If you would like it much thinner, you can always add more corn syrup and coffee. This glaze will thicken slightly as it cools.
Spread onto the cooled Mocha Hazelnut Bundt Cake.
Tags: bundt, cake, Chocolate, hazelnut, Holiday, mocha
Posted in Cakes, Holiday, Recipes | 34 Comments »
Your attitude is admirable. And the cake if fabulous. I wish my family liked coffee flavored cakes… since I’ve been commissioned to make a cake for Christmas dinner. I’m off to your archives.
I had a similar thing happen to me last year. I picked out the perfect, go anywhere holiday outfit to save myself all the “what am I going to wear” worry and then promptly fell on my butt and slid down a muddy hill. Sadly I didn’t think to bring cakes along with me to the other events I had to go to. Brilliant. I will definitely try that next time. This cake looks absolutely wonderful.
I’m sure the memories were worth the wardrobe loss (and hangover). Tis the cost we pay to the party gods. And that is one heck of a topping! You could have brought a tire covered in that stuff and everyone would have loved it just the same.
It sounds like the memories are well worth the loss of the perfect dress! Just keep that cake recipe handy!
Oh. YUM! Have been sneaking around on your blog and couldn’t resist it any more. You are a GODDESS in the kitchen. And I love that you’re into whiskey…Happy Holidays! (May the hangover be brief/nonexistent)!
Direct quote from my mom: “Oh that cake does look lovely. You should do something tasty like that for your blog.” Mom’s is in love with your blog Joy!
Funny, funny story and great looking cake!
This looks fabulous! I love mocha in anything
Ooh, that cake looks lovely! Is the flavor more coffee or more chocolate, would you say?
Wow!! That cake is amazing!! I love hazelnut and this one is gorgeous too!!
Your cake looks beautiful, even better than the picture in the book!
Oh, how I’d love a slice of this.
This is my kind of Christmas Miracle.
Yummmm…
Oh, this looks scrumptious. Joy, I inadvertently deleted your comment from my blog today…so sorry about that! I did get to read it, though, and thank you for stopping by!
This cake looks amazing & delicious! And I love your clever diversion tactics. I often wear a big pair of earrings, telling myself they will help draw attention away from the bags under my eyes. Not sure if it works, but it makes me feel better
Wow Joy, I LOVE your site. Gorgeous photos, lovely stories!
Amazing! I can’t wait to read more!
What a gorgeous cake. I think I will try making it this holiday. Thanks. I love your site by the way…it is now bookmarked as a favourite.
This is an amazingly delicious cake! Yours looks gorgeous.
you really do out-do yourself, don’t u???
that looks fantastic
Sorry to hear about the torn dress… Would’ve been pissed off if my suit got ripped or seomthing.
You can always count on a Dorie Greenspan cake to come through to save the day!
Oh, sorry to hear about the dress! But the cake looks so gorgeous, of course it would make up for any outfit
Happy Holidays, Joy!
Your cake is amazing!!
I made this cake twice over the holidays. The first time was on xmas eve when we all celebrated at my sister’s house. I could tell the cake was a hit when my sister carefully removed the remaining cake from my platter to one of her own.
On New Year’s Day I brought this cake along with some our your Persimmon Bread to a potluck with my cycling friends.
They are both great! Thanks Joy.
I have just found your website and love it! This recipe caught my eye since my 96yo dad is a hazelnut fanatic – raises them, purchases them, forces me to bake with them…. I will be making this very very soon (when one is 96 there is no time to waste!!)
Thanks and I’ll be back.
Oh, I particularly admired your chutzpah (sp?) of gamely entering the party sans party dress (due to unfortunate inebriated rolling down hill episode), but WITH cake. ha.
Hi there
I was looking for a long time for this recipe. Loved the pictures of your cake! How do you make the 1/4 cup coffee? What is the coffee:water ratio? Can I bake it in a loaf tin to make a loaf cake?
Thanks!
Vidya
What is Instant Espresso?
I have whole been coffee and espresso that I grind myself. Can I use this instead of Instant?
[...] Mocha Hazelnut Marble Cake. This cake was gorgeous, classy and utterly fine… until I tried to transport it in a fancy cake stand and got this glistening chocolate glaze exactly everywhere. Everywhere. Lesson learned. [...]
Amazing looking cake!! Really beautiful pictures as well…this plays into my chocolate addiction quite well…
xoxo
Kristin from Bitchin’ Lifestyle
the bf is gonna love this! i think i will spoil him this weekend.
I was so looking forward to this cake. But I found it dry dry. What did I do wrong? It sure is pretty though. Onward and upward.
Hello Joy! I’m planning to make this ckae for one (or more) of the upcoming holidays and wondered what you thought of my crazy idea! Recently, I make a Nutella pound cake (recipe for recent Food & Wine) and it was supper yummy. So that got me thinking … what would you say to subbing the chocolate here for Nutella?
I’d love to hear what you think
)
Abby
Hi Abby!
I love love love Nutella. I’m not sure subbing Nutella for the chocolate in this recipe would be that awesome. Nutella and melted chocolate have different textures, but more importantly, I think this recipe needs that intense hit of chocolate from the 3oz of bittersweet chocolate. Nutella, while it is chocolatey, isn’t that big hit of chocolate that this cake needs.
But seriously… don’t let me stop you from your Nutella dreams! Go for it and let me know how it works out for you!