Shelly's Recipe

MOCHA HAZELNUT MARBLE CAKE WITH MOCHA SOUR CREAM GANACHE

Category: Cakes

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, finely ground
1 tsp baking powder and salt
9 oz unsalted butter, room temperature, divided use
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup coffee (hot or cold)
1 tsp instant coffee, finely ground (or instant espresso powder)
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk, room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter 12 cup Bundt pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess.

Toast whole hazelnuts at 350 for about 12-15 minutes or until they were fragrant. Once cool, ground them until fine in a food processor. Whisk together the flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder and salt.

Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Put 2 tbsp of the butter, cut into 4 pieces, into the bowl, along with the chocolate, coffee and instant coffee. Heat the mixture, stirring often, until the butter and chocolate are melted and everything is smooth and creamy. Keep the heat low so that the butter and chocolate does not separate. Remove the bowl from the heat.

Beat the remaining 2 sticks butter and the sugar for about 3 minutes or until if forms a thick paste (this will not be light and fluffy.)

Beat in the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. The mixture should look smooth and satiny. Beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients and the milk alternately, adding the dry mixture in 3 portions and the milk in 2 (begin and end with the dry ingredients).

Scrape a little less than half the batter into the bowl with the melted chocolate and, using a rubber spatula, stir to blend thoroughly.

If you want to go for the gingko pattern, scrape all of the white batter into the pan and top with the chocolate and marble it minimally. If you want a more marbled pattern, alternate spoonfuls of the light and dark batter in the pan. When all the batter is in the pan, swirl a table knife sparingly through the batter to marble them.

Bake for 65 to 70 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the Bundt pan to a rack and let cool for 10 minutes before unmolding, then cool the cake completely on the rack.

Mocha Sour Cream Glaze
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature

Melt chocolate pieces in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until completely melted. Remove bowl from the double boiler. Stir sour cream into the melted chocolate. Add corn syrup and vanilla and continue to stir. Slowly add the brewed coffee bit by bit, stirring to incorporate. (This will be a thick glaze.

If you would like it much thinner, you can always add more corn syrup and coffee. This glaze will thicken slightly as it cools.) Spread onto the cooled cake.