Ingredientsย ย
Equipment
Methodย
๐งพ Before You Start
- Start by preheating your oven to 170ยฐC (340ยฐF).
- Line the bottom of your cake pan with a round of parchment paper, and grease the pan well โ including the paper.If you prefer, you can also use a 12-cup muffin tin lined with paper cases.
๐ฅฃ Dry Ingredients
- In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: almond flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.Give it a good mix, then set aside.
Wet Ingredients
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the plant-based milk and apple cider vinegar.
- Add the sugar, applesauce, and vanilla extract, and whisk well to combine.
- In the microwave, melt the hazelnut butter, chopped chocolate, and olive oil. Stir until smooth and creamy, then add to the wet mixture and whisk until fully combined.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until you get a smooth, uniform batter.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan (or evenly divide it between the muffin cups).
- Bake in the center of the oven for 40โ45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.If you're using a muffin tin, baking time will be shorter โ start checking after 20โ25 minutes.
- Let the cake cool on a wire rack. Itโs important to let it cool completely in the pan.
๐ซ Chocolate Hazelnut Frosting
- Place all the frosting ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl: hazelnut butter, chopped dark chocolate, maple syrup (or agave or silan), olive oil, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.Heat for about a minute, until the chocolate is melted.Whisk well until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the frosting over the cake and spread it gently with a spatula. You can cover the sides as well โ or, like in the photo, simply let it drip naturally (with a little help from your spatula).
- Garnish with hazelnut crunch or roasted chopped hazelnuts.If youโd like, sprinkle a touch of coarse Atlantic sea salt on top.
To Serve
- Serve the cake as is โ or take it to the next level with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of strawberry sauce (recipe below).Get ready to fall in love. ๐ซ
- Store the cake in the fridge, and take it out about 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
๐ Strawberry Sauce (Optional but Highly Recommended!)
Blend fresh strawberries with powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice โ adjust to taste.And if you happen to have homemade vanilla-infused powdered sugar (just blend it with a vanilla bean)โฆ youโve officially hit the jackpot! ย
๐ฅ A Few Words in Praise of the Multi-Spatula
The multi-spatula (a genius hybrid between a spoon and a spatula) is one of my favorite kitchen tools โ brilliantly designed for folding batters, spreading frostings, scraping down the sides of a blender or food processor, cleaning out every last bit from your bowlโฆ and even for adding liquids like a spoon. Iโll admit it โ Iโm a bit obsessed with kitchen gadgets. I have everything, sometimes even in twos. (Yes, itโs that bad.)But once I discovered the multi-spatula? I said goodbye to most of my old wooden spoons and spatulas โ as friends, of course. Itโs one of those tools that serve you well for so many things, and for so long!
No more wooden spoons that stain, wear out, or start lookingโฆ letโs just say less than appetizing.
This one doesnโt warp, doesnโt age โ and most importantly, it doesnโt mold!