Chocolate Cake with Hazelnuts
Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 15 minutes
Nuts and seeds are an important component of a plant-based, vegan diet and one of the nuts that we grow on the GoMacro farm is the American Hazelnut (Corylus Americana). We grow it because it reduces soil erosion, sequesters carbon and is a great wildlife habitat loved by squirrels, woodpeckers, turkey, and grouse, as well as many insects. In fact, the American Hazelnut is a host plant to the caterpillar of the beautiful Luna Moth.
Although smaller than the popular Turkish hazelnut, it has an excellent taste and ongoing research will perhaps make the US more competitive. It is also an important source of mono-unsaturated, heart-friendly fatty acids, as well as many vitamins and minerals.
There’s nothing wrong with a little chocolate now and again, and since I had just purchased vegan chocolate by one of my favorite vegan chefs, Fran Costigan, I decided to make her "Six-Layer Hazelnut Chocolate Cake." She calls it the “fastest showstopper in the book.” Six layers is no mean feat but with my chocolate hazelnut butter already made, I decided to go for it.
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup organic all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
- ¾ cup organic sugar
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot
- ¾ teaspoon aluminum free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon walnut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup hazelnut meal
- 1 ½ cups hazelnut butter
- 4 ozs dark chocolate, finely chopped
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon almond milk or soymilk
- 2 tablespoons organic sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup roasted chopped hazelnuts, for garnish
Directions
