Eggless Italian Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake - Torta Gianduia

Blogging Marathon # 38 Week 1 Day : 2

Theme : One dish, Different Country - Cakes from Around the World - Torta Gianduia

Course : Dessert


When this months Blogging Marathon Challenge I chose One dish different countries as my theme for this week. There are so many dishes around the world which are resemble and am going to post on the most famous cake dessert which are specially prepared during festivals such as Swiss cake for Christmas, Torta Gianduia made specially during Carnival festival.

Gianduia is a sweet chocolate containing hazelnut, invented in Turin by Caffarel in 1852. It takes its name from marionette character which represents Piedmont, the Italian region where Gianduia chocolate was invented. Traditionally Gianduia cake preparation is very elaborate and the traditional recipe uses no flour at all, but only bitter chocolate, sugar, butter, water, and heavy cream.  This version is eggless, and so does include flour.  It tastes just as good, though!

Preparation time : 20 mins

Cooking time : 20 mins

Serves : 6 people

Difficulty level : Easy

Ingredients :
1 cup Maida / All purpose flour
1/4 cup Whole wheat flour
1/4 cup / 3 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa powder
14 cup hazel nut
1/4 cup less 1 tbsp Sugar Substitute (If using Stevia 9 sachets)
1/8 cup / 1 tbsp Hazelnut paste / Nutella
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup + 1/8 cup milk
1 tbsp Vinegar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp hazelnut, toasted and sliced

Other things required :
Bowl for mixing
Seive
Spatula
Baking paper / Grease proof paper
6" Round cake tin or Square tin

Method :

• Sift Maida, wheat flour along with Cocoa powder and baking powder.
• Roast hazelnut, cool and grind to fine powder. Mix with dry ingredients.
• In a bowl add milk and vinegar and keep it aside for 5 mins or till milk thickens.
• Add hazelnut paste and cinnamon powder and mix well.
  

• Add flour mix in three batches and mix using cut and fold method.
• If you feel the batter is too thick then add milk to get thick consistency.
• Pour in Greased and lined tin. Tap to remove any air.
• Sprinkle the hazelnut on top and tap again.
• Bake for 20 mins at 160 c in preheated oven or till ready.

Notes :

• Check in between say after 12 -13 mins if the nuts are getting burnt reduce the temperature of oven.
• The cooking time varies from oven to oven. My oven took 20 mins to bake at cake mode i.e. top and bottom setting.
• Please use tooth pick method to check if the cake is baked or not i.e. Insert the tooth pick or wooden skewer in middle and

          a) if it comes out dry it is done.
          b) If it comes out goey i.e. batter is stuck means cake needs 10 mins of baking.
          c) if it comes with few crumbs it means the cake needs 3- 5 mins of baking.

• Other way is by smell, if you get the aroma of cake means the cake is perfectly baked. Would recommend to only those who regularly bake they can distinguish the baked aroma.
• This cake would be bit dense due to use of whole wheat flour and hazelnut flour.

Best Paried with  :

• The cake is best paired with cup of Espresso or Cold coffee.
• Frangelico is after dinner drink
• Scoop of Rich Chocolate ice-cream
• Hot Chocolate and Hazelnut ganache

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#38

Hope you have enjoyed reading this post. Please take a minute to share your views and valuable comments. Regards, Briju Parthasarathy