Friday 16 June 2017

Chocolate Hazelnut Loaf Cake with Cherries

This cake was the result of one of those all too frequent occurrences, when I have a few odds and ends in the store cupboard that I'm looking to use up. The delicious result has more than a hint of the black forest about it, but of course that's no bad thing. It's a real fudgy devil too, which means it will keep for more than couple of days if stored in a cool or cold place. Well, if you can resist gobbling it all up!

Prep time: 20 Mins
Baking time: 70-75 Mins
175g Butter
150g Milk Chocolate (Broken into cubes)
100g Ground Hazelnuts
100g Plain Flour
1.5tsp Baking Powder
2tbsp Cocoa Powder
150g Golden Caster Sugar
75g Toasted Hazelnuts (Roughly Chopped)
2 Large Eggs, plus 1 Yolk
175g Cherries soaked in Kirsch, along with 2tbsp of the soaking liquor (Plus a few extra cherries to decorate)
175g Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3 and line a 2lb loaf tin with a greaseproof loaf tin liner. You can pick the liners up easily from most supermarkets or kitchenware stores. Melt together the butter and chocolate, either over a bain-marie or in the microwave, then set to one side to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl mix together the hazelnuts, flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, sugar and hazelnuts. Make a well in the middle and pour in the melted butter and chocolate. Mix through, then add the eggs and continue mixing to a batter. Finally, add the cherries and soaking liquor and give one last mix until evenly combined. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin and bake in the centre of the oven for around 70-75 mins, until a metal skewer or sharp knife comes out sticky with crumbs when inserted into the middle of the cake.

When you are happy the cake is baked remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Once cool carefully remove from the tin and spread the surface with chocolate spread. Finish with a few leftover cherries to decorate and you are ready to serve. Booyah.

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