NUTELLA CAKE with CHOCOLATE FROSTING
Adapted from Nigella Lawson
Serves: 8 to 10

Ingredients
For cake:
♦ 6 large eggs, separated
♦ pinch salt
♦ 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
♦ 1 13-ounce container Nutellla
♦ 1 tbsp rum
♦ 1/2 cup finely ground hazelnuts
♦ 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

For ganache:
♦ 1/2 cup heavy cream
♦ 1 tbsp rum
♦ 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

♦ toasted hazelnuts (without skins), chocolate candies, etc.

Directions:
Make the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees; butter a 9-inch springform pan. In a large metal bowl, whisk the egg whites and salt until stiff. In another bowl, cream the butter and Nutella, then add the rum, egg yolks, and ground hazelnuts. Fold in melted chocolate.

Add a large dollop of the egg whites into the batter, folding it in to lighten the mixture. Fold in the remaining whites, one-third at a time, gently but thoroughly. Pour the batter into the springform and bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake’s beginning to come away at the sides – let cool entirely on a rack.

Make the ganache: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the cream, rum and chopped chocolate, and heat gently – stir until melted; pour into a heatproof bowl, and chill for 20 minutes (whisking occasionally to keep it from setting).

Unmould the cooled cake carefully, leaving it on the springform base – ice the top with the chocolate ganache, and decorate with topping of choice.

To read more about this cake and my musical pairing, click HERE.