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jeweled chocolate cake

Ruthie Reichl's Jeweled Chocolate Cake

Ruth Reichl's famous chocolate treat will meet you wherever you are.
4.50 from 6 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 people
Calories 265 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder, you'll need a little more for dusting pan
  • 3 oz high-quality bittersweet chocolate
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup slivered, blanched almonds
  • 1/2 cup blanched hazelnuts
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup mascarpone
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar

Instructions
 

Jeweled Chocolate Cake

  • Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
  • Butter a  9-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper. Next, butter the paper and dust it with cocoa powder.
  • Melt the chocolate with cocoa, butter, oil, and water over low heat. Stir the mixture until smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar.
  • Cool completely, then whisk in the eggs, one at a time.
  • Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk into the chocolate mixture. Shake the buttermilk well, and stir that into the batter.
  • Pour the batter into the pan. Bake on the middle rack for about 45 minutes or until a fork or toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool for 10 minutes, then turn out, peel the parchment from the bottom, and let it cool completely.

Praline topping

  • Toast almonds and hazelnuts in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. (If you’re us¬ing hazelnuts with skins, put hazelnuts with skins in a towel and a towel and rub the skins off. But don't stress over it. Some skins can still be on.)
  • Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil without stirring until it begins to darken, swirling the pan until the mixture turns gold. You'll feel like you're waiting for a while for the mixture to darken, but then it goes quickly, so keep your eyes on it, or it will burn. Remove saucepan from the heat and stir in the nut mixture.
  • Pour onto a baking sheet that you’ve lined with foil or parchment paper. Spread nuts evenly. Make sure you use an oven mitt—hot sugar burns HURT. Let topping cool completely
  • Break topping into pieces. Put pieces in a plastic bag, and smash with a rolling pin until you have crushed nuts. Sprinkle over topping the frosting, adding both crunch and flavor.
  • Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar into 1 cup of mascarpone. Spread the frosting on the cooled cake and heap the crushed nuts on top.

Notes

slice your round through the middle to make two even halves for a layer cake. Or add whatever nuts you'd like.

Nutrition

Calories: 265kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 179mgPotassium: 123mgFiber: 2gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 173IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 1mg
Keyword dessert
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