Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake

This one comes from a Nigel Slater recipe. You can find it online, although the recipe does seems to change slightly depending on the source. I know this version works really well and is a lovely one to have with a tea or coffee. I use a large pestle and mortar to bash together my chocolate and nuts, but if you don't have one you can use a sturdy bowl and rolling pin, or even a food processor.

Prep time: 15 Mins

Baking time: 45 - 50 Mins

250g Unsalted Butter (Softened)

250g Golden Caster Sugar

4 Large Eggs

125g Self Raising Flour

4Tsp Strong Hot Dark Coffee

120g Dark Chocolate (70% Cocoa if you can)

75g Toasted Chopped Hazelnuts (You can pick these up pretty easily from most supermarkets)

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and grease/line the base of a 20cm deep loose-bottomed cake tin. In a large pestle and mortar bash together the chocolate and hazelnuts until they look like loose gravel (You might have to do this a bit at a time), then set aside. In a bowl mix together the softened butter and sugar until light and creamy, then incorporate the eggs one at a time. Mix in half the flour, add the coffee, then the rest of the flour. Add in the choc/nut mixture and fold it through until the whole lot is fully mixed together. Pour into the tin and bake in the centre of the oven for around 45 minutes, until a metal skewer comes out moist but clean. It's probably worth checking about 35 minutes in and if it's looking dark enough on top, then you can cover with some foil to stop it burning. When your happy that it's cooked remove it from the oven, let a cool for a bit in the tin, then remove and peel off the baking paper. Done and done!