Chocolate hazelnut praline cake

A vegan chocolate sponge with hazelnuts, a hazelnut brittle buttercream centre, a light cocoa coating, topped off with a drizzle of dairy-free hazelnut chocolate and whole hazelnuts

The chocolate I used to help create this rich and delicious cake is the scrumptious Vivani.

I used the Dark Nougat Croccante in the centre buttercream and melted & drizzled the White Nougat Crisp on top of the cake for decoration and an extra hazelnut flavour.

The chocolate I used to help create this rich and delicious cake is the scrumptious

I used the Dark Nougat Croccante in the centre buttercream and melted & drizzled the White Nougat Crisp on top of the cake for decoration and an extra hazelnut flavour.

This chocolate is absolutely divine. It's easy to melt and works perfectly with the hazelnut & chocolate cake.

This is a cake you need to make, especially for a special occasion as everyone will love it!

To make this 4 layer cake, I used four 6inch tins, but you can use two 9inch tins for a 2 tier cake.

Preparation- 10 minutes

Baking time- 28-30 minutes

Serves- 12-15

Level- Easy

...

Ingredients for the cake

-480ml of almond milk (I use unsweetened)

-2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar

-420g of self-raising flour (I use gluten-free)

-480g of golden caster sugar

-2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

-50g of chopped hazelnuts

-1 teaspoon of baking powder

-1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

-Pinch of salt

-120g of coconut oil (melted)

-1 teaspoon of hazelnut syrup (If you don't have this, add one more teaspoon of vanilla)

-3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Ingredients for the buttercream filling (middle)

-140g of dairy-free butter/margarine (I use Tomor)

-300g of icing sugar

-1 teaspoon of vanilla extract/flavouring

-1 Vivani White Nougat Crisp Bar (Grated)

-1 Vivani Dark Nougat Croccante Bar (Grated)

Ingredients for the buttercream coating

-210g of dairy-free butter/margarine (I use Tomor)

-600g of icing sugar

-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract/flavouring

-1/2 teaspoon of cocoa powder

-1/2 teaspoon of dairy-free milk (I use unsweetened almond)

...

To make the cake

Step 1- Preheat your oven to 178 degrees c and line four 6inch cake tins with grease-proof paper (Or you can use two 9inch cake tins for a 2 tier cake).

Step 2- In a bowl, combine the almond milk with the apple cider vinegar and whisk until fully combined.

Set aside for 10 minutes to curdle. This creates a vegan 'buttermilk'.

Step 3- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, chopped hazelnuts, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

Mix well to combine.

Step 4- Add the coconut oil, hazelnut syrup and vanilla to the 'buttermilk' and whisk to combine.

Step 5- Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix

Step 6- Pour equal amounts of batter into the lined cake tins.

Make sure to tap the tins on the worktop to remove any air bubbles.

Step 7- Pop the cakes into the preheated oven and bake for around 28-30 minutes.

You will know they are done when you put a knife or skewer in and it comes out clean and they are springy to the touch.

Step 8- Place the cakes on a cooling rack and allow to cool fully.

Once cool, pop them into a sealed container to keep them fresh before frosting.

To make the buttercream filling

Step 1- In a bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter on high then add in icing sugar, vanilla extract and grated chocolate.

Add milk if needed.

Step 2- Level off your cakes (if needed) with a sharp knife.

Step 3- Layer the cakes with equal amounts of buttercream. Make sure on the top layer to turn the cake upside down for a flat top.

To make the buttercream coating

Step 1- In a bowl/stand mixer, cream the butter on high then add in the icing sugar, vanilla extract, cocoa powder and dairy-free milk.

Step 4- Crumb coat the whole cake and pop into the fridge for an hour to chill.

Once firm, give the cake a final thick layer of smooth buttercream.

(Watch this amazing video for tips on how to frost a cake)

Step 5- Once the frosting is firm, I decorated my cake with a drizzle of melted White Nougat Crisp, pressed chopped hazelnuts to the bottom of the cake, and topped it off with chunks of chocolate, whole & chopped hazelnuts and some edible gold.



Serve fresh or store in a sealed container in the fridge, the buttercream will firm up at room temperature.

Best eaten within a few days!