Nutella Cake lightened recipe from How to Be a Domestic Goddess I had such great results halving the butter and replacing the chocolate with cocoa and sugar that I never bothered to make the full-fat recipe. This cake has virtually no grain; it’s like a solid slab of Nutella whose sweetness is offset by bitter cocoa. To see the interior of the cake, see The Skinny Epicurean. I tried this recipe with homemade and store-bought chocolate-hazelnut spread. No need to get fancy: Nutella actually makes a better, smoother cake. Makes 16 rich servings CAKE: 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar 1/4 cup (half stick) soft unsalted butter 1 12-ounce jar of Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread) 1/2 cup cocoa 1 tablespoon Frangelico, rum or water 6 large eggs, separated 3/8 tsp cream of tarter or 3/4 tsp vinegar or lemon juice Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by lining the bottom with parchment or wax paper and greasing the sides. In a food processor, grind the hazelnuts with 1 tbsp of sugar until fine. In a large bowl, beat the butter and Nutella together. Add cocoa, Frangelico (or what you have chosen to use), egg yolks, and the ground hazelnut mixture. Set aside. In another large bowl, combine the egg whites and cream of tarter and beat till soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in 1/2 cup sugar and beat till stiff but not dry. This means that they will hold their peaks, yet still appear glossy and smooth. Lighten the chocolate mixture by stirring in a quarter of the egg whites, which you can beat in as roughly as you want. Gently fold in the rest of the egg whites a third at a time. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and cook for 40 minutes or until the cake’s beginning to come away at the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs cling to it. Cool on rack. The top crust will fall in the center like a crater. With your fingers, gently press down the sides of the cooled cake, so the edges are even with the center. Unmold by sliding a knife around the edges. If desired, trim the top crust with a large serrated knife. Invert the cake on a platter, or leave it on the base if you choose. DECORATING: adapted from Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts by Alice Medrich 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp low-fat 1% buttermilk 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 4 ounces (1 scant cup) whole toasted hazelnuts Combine the sugar and cocoa in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Use a wire whisk to stir in just enough buttermilk to form a smooth paste. Stir in the remaining buttermilk. Cook over medium heat until the mixture simmers and begins to boil, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, scraping the sides and bottom of the saucepan. Boil gently for 2 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour through a fine strainer. Allow to cool. Cover, placing plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Chill for several hours or overnight. Frosting will thicken as it cools. May be refrigerated, covered, for at least 1 week. To assemble the cake, spread a thin layer of frosting over the top and sides of cake. Allow cake to set, at room temperature, for 20 minutes or more. Spread another lawyer over the top and sides of the cake. Dot the top of the cake with the hazelnuts. Cake may stand at room temperature for up to one day or in the refrigerator for five. Notes: Toast the nuts in a 350-degree oven for 10-20 minutes to release their aroma. Stir half way through baking to ensure even browning. Nuts are done when they are fragrant and golden brown. Optional step: to get rid of the bitter skin, rub the cooled nuts in a paper towel. Grinding the hazelnuts with some sugar ensures that those flavorful oils don’t go to waste. The sugar also acts as padding so you can grind the nuts finely without turning them into butter. The boiling time is important in the sauce. This glaze makes a thick smooth covering for a cake, but it is not stiff enough to frost with swirls or peaks. If you cheat on the boiling time, it will not thicken enough (even after chilling) to coat a cake without dripping mostly off the sides, nor will it have the intensity of flavor it needs to be a great chocolate sauce. To make one cup of buttermilk, measure 1 Tbsp vinegar and add enough milk to make one cup total. Variation: To make about 28 cupcakes, pour the batter into cupcake liners and bake for about 20 minutes.

Nutella Cake Serves 8 (or more like 20!) for the cake 6 large eggs -- separated 1 pinch salt 125 g soft unsalted butter 1 jar of Nutella (400 g) (Yes, an entire jar.) 1 tablespoon Frangelico, rum or water 100 g finely ground hazelnuts * 120 g dark chocolate, melted for the icing 100 hazelnuts 125 ml double cream 1 tablespoon Frangelico, rum or water 125 g dark chocolate Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. (350 F). Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan. Line it with parchment or wax paper if you feel safer doing that. I didn't and it was fine. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs whites and salt until stiff but not dry. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and Nutella together, then add Frangelico (or whatever you're using), egg yolks, and ground hazelnuts. Fold in the cooled, melted chocolate, then lighten the mixture with a dollop of egg white, which you can beat in as roughly as you want, before gently folding the rest of them in a third at a time. Pour into the prepared pan and cook for 40 minutes or until the cake's beginning to come away at the sides, then let cool on rack. Toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan until the aroma wafts upward and the nuts are golden brown in parts: keep shaking the pan so they don't burn on one side and stay too pallid on others. If you use unpeeled nuts, transfer them to a kitchen towel, and rub, rub, rub. Most of the skins should come off. Transfer to a plate and let cool. Leave them whole or chop them up, depending on how much skin you actually managed to get off. In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan, add the cream, liquer or water, and chopped chocolate and heat gently. Once the chocolate's melted, take the pan off the heat and cool in the refrigerater for a few minutes, then whisk until it reaches the right consistency to ice just the top of the cake. Unmold the cooled cake carefully. Ice the top with the chocolate icing, and decorate with the hazelnuts. *You could use ground almonds instead if you can't find ground hazelnuts. I've done it this way before and it's fine, but a little more densely textured