Silky hazelnut cake

Desserts

Oct 2

This delicious hazelnut cake is not fully raw but it's made from the wholefood healthy ingredients. It has a delicious nutty flavour and light creamy texture. To make the creamy layer I used hazelnuts and millet - a gluten-free ancient whole grain packed with fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants. It is a very versatile grain, can be used for sweet and savoury meals. Millet has been grown in Africa for centuries and it is becoming more popular in the Western world. In the UK you can buy it in health food stores, Eastern European shops, and some supermarkets.

To make the cream and cake crust I used toasted hazelnuts. They have a stronger more nutty flavour than raw hazelnuts. You can buy toasted hazelnuts without skin or toast raw ones in the oven for 10 minutes and remove the skins by rubbing the nuts between your palms.

Prep time: 45 minutes

Chilling time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes

16 Portions

Ingredients

For the crust:

65g toasted hazelnuts without skin
150g oats
130g soft dates
60g maple syrup
2 tbsp cacao nibs
1 1/2 tbsp cacao powder
Big pinch of salt

For the hazelnut cream layer:

90g toasted hazelnuts without skin
700g hazelnut milk or other plant based milk
70g dry millet
60g coconut sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4g agar-agar powder

For the chocolate:

30g odourless coconut oil
35g maple syrup
1 tbsp cacao powder

Method

You will need a square 15cm cake tin, a food processor, and a high-speed blender

Start by making the cake crust. First grind oats in a food processor bowl to a coarse mill. Add the the rest of the ingredients and process until sticky and well combined. Line the bottom of a loose-bottomed square cake tin with cling film or baking paper. Press the mixture into the tin and set in the freezer for half an hour.
While the crust is chilling in the freezer start making the hazelnut cream. Put the millet and half of the milk (350g) into a saucepan and bring it to boil. Cover the saucepan and boil on a very low heat until the millet absorbed all the milk. The millet should be very soft. If all the milk is absorbed and the grain is still not overcooked add an extra splash of milk and boil for a few more minutes.
In a separate saucepan pour the rest of the milk and add agar-agar powder. Stir well and bring it to boil stirring all the time. Cook on a low heat for 2 minutes continuing stirring or follow the instruction on your agar-agar package (boiling time may vary).
Put the cooked millet and the hot milk with agar-agar powder in a high-speed blender jug. Add coconut sugar and vanilla extract and blend all the ingredients until perfectly smooth. If you don’t blend it long enough the mixture may look smooth but it will be still grainy. Before pouring the cream onto the crust you should check if the cream is done by rubbing a little bit of the mixture between your fingers. It supposed to be silky smooth.
Pour the hazelnut cream onto the ready crust and spread it with a spoon. Smooth the surface with a palette knife. Set in the fridge for one hour or until firm.
When the cake is firm melt the coconut oil and mix with maple syrup and cacao powder. Stir well to combine the ingredients. Pour the chocolate on the top of the cake. Set in the fridge for 15 minutes.

The cake will last for 5-7 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.