Holidays equal family, friends, and of course… sweets. I’m always looking for new ways to upgrade sweet trail treats over the standard cookie. This Hazelnut Chocolate Cake with Candied Blood Orange, served in a jelly jar, is both decadent and transportable. Don’t forget a spoon!
Hazelnuts are the official Oregon state nut. A whopping 99% of hazelnuts grown in the United States are grown in Oregon’s bountiful Willamette Valley. These nuts are so famous they have even been featured in The New York Times.
The flowers of hazelnut trees are pollinated during the middle of winter and then stay dormant until early summer. Nuts mature over the summer and are harvested in September or October.
Hazelnuts are one of the healthiest nuts. They have been a part of our diet for many centuries before the invention of Nutella and are often thought to have medicinal qualities. Once, hazelnuts were used to protect against the common cold or heal persistent coughs. Today, modern research has linked the vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants in hazelnuts to protecting against cell damage, lowering cholesterol, and improving insulin sensitivity.
Where to Buy Hazelnuts for Hazelnut Chocolate Cake with Candied Blood Orange
Like most nuts, Hazelnuts pair well with chocolate. Here, the nuts are incorporated into a decadent chocolate cake, topped with ganache, and finished off with a candied blood orange slice. Or if you prefer a savory option to use hazelnuts, try this recipe for Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Hazelnuts.
For busy folks out there looking for shortcuts for this Hazelnut Chocolate Cake treat, substitute boxed brownie mix for the cake recipe below. Add in the hazelnuts just before baking. Do not try to use boxed chocolate cake mix unless you want to end up with a mess in the oven! The candied oranges can also be made up to a week in advance and stored in an air-tight container.
Lastly, a note about glass in the outdoors: some people would advise never to take glass anywhere outside of your house. It can break. You can accidentally cut yourself. You can be miles from nowhere and need stitches.
I frequently use glass in the outdoors as I prefer it over the alternative (plastic). Usually, I do not use it for backpacking due to weight, but glass jars are great containers for camping, hiking, snowshoeing, etc. As with most outdoor activities, be aware of what could go wrong and plan accordingly.
Hazelnut Chocolate Cake with Candied Blood Orange
Equipment
- 8 jelly jars
- Double Boiler
Ingredients
For the Blood Orange…
- 3 blood oranges sliced
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
For the Cake…
- vegetable spray
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 6 oz butter melted
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup hazelnuts toasted and chopped
For the Ganache…
- 10 oz mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
For the Blood Orange…
- Slice orange and discard ends.
- In a medium pot, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Add orange slices and cook for 10 minutes. Remove pot from the stove and let oranges cool in the water for mixture 90 minutes.
- Remove oranges from the water mixture and place slices on parchment paper. Leave dry on the counter for 24 hours. After then, store in an airtight container with slices separated by parchment paper. Slice will keep for up to a month.
For the Cake…
- Grease jelly jars with vegetable spray. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- With an electric mixer, whisk eggs until fluffy. Add-in sugars and beat until well combined. Stir in remaining ingredients.
- Pour slightly more than two fingers into each jelly jar. Place jars on baking pan and bake for 45 minutes.
For the Ganache…
- Heat cream and chocolate over a double boiler. As the chocolate melts, whisk until well combined.
- Pour warm ganache over cooled cakes. Garnish with an orange slice.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @bewildeats on Instagram and hashtag it #bewildeats.
You referred to a Pumpkin Gnocchi with Brown butter and hazelnuts where do I find that recipe???
Hi Linda! You can find it here – https://bewildeats.com/roasted-pumpkin-gnocchi/