Stunning chocolate cake

I prepared this chocolate cake less than 24 hours after seeing its recipe. I photographed it and sent to my children and my daughter answered me: “Stunning!”

Yes, it is stunning. It is gluttonous, inviting, comforting and all those adjectives we use to name chocolate treats.

I believe it’s a good idea for Christmas time, as it can be prepared in advance and ate anytime. This irresistible chocolate cake has a dark chocolate crust, and it is filled with a mixture of milk chocolate, Nutella and hazelnuts. A real explosion of taste and sweetness.

It is easier to prepare than you think, I assure you. The one you see on the photo was my first experience, and I am plenty satisfied with its look.

I prepared it yesterday and sent the photo to my children and husband. Well, my husband couldn’t wait to taste it. He ate the vegetable soup I prepared for dinner yesterday and soon took the plates to the kitchen and brought small and clean ones to eat this cake. He closed his eyes while eating it, so much he enjoyed it.

I used a small plum cake pan I already have at home, 72% cocoa dark chocolate and Italian milk chocolate. I do like to use Italian products, but in this case I believe any good chocolate will work.

Here you have it step by step:

First, melt the dark chocolate and cover the inside part of a plum cake (10x20cm/3.8×7.9in) mold using a kitchen brush. Put it into the fridge for some minutes to solidify, then make another layer covering the thinner parts and put again in the fridge.

Roughly chop the hazelnuts.

Melt the milk chocolate in bain marie.

Pour the Nutella into a bowl,

Add the chopped hazelnuts and the melted milk chocolate,

and mix until well combined;

Let it cool for some minutes before pouring it into the dark chocolate mold, otherwise it could melt it.

Cover with plastic wrap (just to avoid absorbing other aromas from the fridge) and keep into the fridge for 3 hours.

I forgot to the photos of the intermediate steps, but what I did was to cut using a thin and shaper knife, the exceeding chocolate making the stuffing and the dark chocolate mold at the same high.

I then lightly inserted the point of a knife onto the sides to help it detach from the mold. It was much easier than I thought it was going to be. I yelled of joy when it came out perfectly as you can see on the next photo.

Use a sharp knife to cut it. It is soft inside and … irresistible!