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Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

March 25, 2025 by Naomi Toilalo WhānauKai Leave a Comment

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Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake – Keke Tiakarete Hānati

As you can see, this keke (cake) is inspired by Forerro Rocher with flavours of tiakarete (chocolate) and hānati (hazelnut). This keke (cake) is going to be a hit your whānau (family) and friends because it is magical. Pure deliciousness made with your own hands, what could be better?! Let’s take a closer look.

The Chocolate Hazelnut Cake recipe:

Begin this recipe by making a miraka pata (buttermilk) out of miraka (milk) and winika (vinegar). Next, make a powerful kōkō (cocoa) mixture that creates the base for the keke (cake). Whip hēki (eggs) with huka (sugar) and wanira (vanilla) and add the cocoa and buttermilk mixture in to it. Grind raw hānati (hazelnuts) into a crumb and mix with the dry ingredients until combined. This is then folded with the wet ingredients and the batter is complete. Divide it between two cake tins and gently bake until they spring back in the centre. 

Decorating this keke (cake):

Whip up a batch of creamy pani reka tiakarete (chocolate buttercream). Spread the rich pani reka tiakarete (chocolate buttercream) on to the cooled keke (cake). At this point, spread pani tiakarete hānati (chocolate hazelnut spread) in to the centre and add canned poihanapere (boysenberries). Cover the entire keke (cake) with the remaining pani reka (buttercream) and spread it out until smooth. Additionally, decorate the top with Forerro Rocher and a sprinkling of kongakonga hānati (hazelnut crumb). The textures and flavours of this keke (cake) are just so dreamy. 

Are you gluten-free?

Kāore he raru – no worries, I have you covered. Check out my Gluten-free Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, made with you in mind. You can also cover this keke (cake) in my dairy-free chocolate frosting and make this a dairy-free, gluten-free keke (cake) due to the absence of pata (butter) in the cake itself.

Or does tiakarete (chocolate) and aramona (almond) with Biscoff sound more like you? Then this Chocolate Almond Cake is the keke (cake) for you. Perhaps you want something with tiakarete (chocolate) but want it in a mawhene (muffin) form, stay with me. These Chocolate Ganache Muffins are absolutely want you need. Have a look at more of my tohutao keke (cake recipes) here.

Videography and photography by Sarah Henderson.

Cake ingredients
Cake ingredients
Cocoa mixture stirred
Whisked eggs
Cocoa mixture added
Stir wet ingredients
Whisk in dry ingredients
Cake mixture added to cake tins
Buttercream on cake
Buttercream on cake
Buttercream on cake with chocolate hazelnut spread
Piping buttercream
Buttercream and boysenberries
Boysenberries on to the chocolate hazelnut spread
Spread Chocolate buttercream on cake
Spread Chocolate buttercream on cake
Piping Chocolate buttercream on cake
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
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Chocolate Hazelnut Cake – Keke Tiakarete Hānati

A delicious chocolate and hazelnut cake with a chocolate buttercream, hazelnut spread filling and canned boysenberries layered together. Topped with Forerro Rocher for extra indulgence.
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Prep Time 45 minutes minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes minutes
Servings 12 servings (1 x 20 cm layer cake)

Ingredients

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake – Keke Hānati Tiakarete

  • ¾ C (185 ml) miraka (milk)
  • 2 tbsp (30 ml) winika (vinegar) or wai rēmana (lemon juice)
  • 1 C (100 g) kōkō (cocoa, dutch is best)
  • ½ C (100 g) huka hāura (brown sugar, tightly packed)
  • ½ tsp tote (salt, fine)
  • ½ tbsp paura kawhe (coffee powder, instant)
  • 1 C (250 ml) wai wera (hot water, boiled)
  • 3 hēki (eggs, size 6)
  • 1 C (220 g) huka one (caster sugar)
  • ½ tbsp wanira (vanilla)
  • ½ C (125 ml) noni (oil, neutral oil, I use olive oil but use what you have)
  • 1 C (150 g) hānati (hazelnuts, whole and raw)
  • 1 ¼ C (185 g) puehu parāoa noa (plain flour)
  • 1 ¼ tsp pēkana paura (baking powder)
  • 1 tsp pēkana houra (baking soda)

Chocolate Buttercream – Pani Reka Tiakarete

  • 150 g tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate, 50%)
  • 3 tbsp kirīmi, miraka rānei (cream or milk)
  • 180 g pata kūteretere (softened butter)
  • ⅔ C (110 g) puehu huka (icing sugar)
  • 2 tsp wanira (vanilla)
  • ¼ C (25 g) kōkō (cocoa, dutch is best)

The Decorations – Ngā Whakarākei

  • ⅔ C (190 g) pata hānati tiakarete (chocolate hazelnut spread). I used a good quality one but use what you prefer.
  • 425 g kēna poihanapere (can of boysenberries, in syrup)
  • 12 Forerro Rocher chocolates

Instructions

Chocolate Hazelnut Cake – Keke Tiakarete me te Hānati

  • Note: If you want a more pronounced hānati (hazelnut) flavour in this keke (cake), toast the hānati (hazelnuts) before making the batter. 
    Add the whole nuts in to a dry frying pan and over medium heat, toast the nuts until fragrant. Once they are toasted, add them to a tea towel and rub off the skins. Allow them to cool as you make the cake batter.
  • Preheat the oven to 150 °C. 
    Grease and line 2 x 19 cm or 20 cm cake tins with baking paper on the base and sides.
  • Combine the miraka (milk) and winika (vinegar) in a glass. Stir to create a simple buttermilk. Leave to the side.
  • To a jug or medium bowl, add the kōkō (cocoa), huka hāura (brown sugar), tote (salt) and paura kawhe (coffee powder). Mix it up.
  • Boil the jug and pour the wai wera (hot water) in to the cocoa mix. Stir it.
    Once the ranunga kōkō (cocoa mixture) is smooth and free of lumps, pour in the miraka pata (buttermilk) and stir it in. Leave to the side.
  • In to a large bowl, add the hēki (eggs), huka one (caster sugar) and wanira (vanilla). Using a whisk, whip for a minute or so until smooth.
  • Slowly drizzle in the noni (oil) as you whisk it in to a smooth batter.
    Continue whisking as you pour in the cocoa mixture.
  • Add the hānati (hazelnuts) in to a blender and turn them in to a crumb, be careful not to take them too far as they will start to turn in to hazelnut butter. Just pulse until a crumb forms. Reference the video for a visual cue.
  • Add the kongakonga hānati (hazelnut crumb) in to the main mixture along with puehu parāoa (flour), pēkana paura (baking powder) and pēkana houra (baking soda).
    Whisk it all together for a minute or so until the batter is smooth. 
  • Divide it evenly between the two prepared cake tins.
  • Bake for 35 minutes or until they spring back in the centre when pressed.
  • Remove the cakes from the oven. Flip them straight on to a cooling rack as this helps them stay flat so you don't have to trim the cakes. Leave the baking paper on the cakes until you are ready to decorate them.
    Allow them to completely cool before decorating.
  • Note: If you want to inject even more moisture into the keke (cake). Once the cakes are baked, poke holes all over them with a chopstick.
    Then drizzle over 4 tablespoons of the juice from the canned poihanapere (boysenberries) on to each cake. Allow to cool in the tin to soak up the juices and continue on with the recipe.

Chocolate Buttercream – Pani Reka Tiakarete

  • Chop the tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate) roughly in to chunks. 
    Add the tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate) and kirīmi (cream) or miraka (milk) to a bowl.
  • Gently melt it in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring well between each time. This should take a minute or just over.
    You can also melt it gently in a heat-proof bowl that is sitting over a pot of barely simmering water (around 3cm deep). Make sure the bowl is not touching the water. Stir it occasionally until it is melted.
  • Once smooth and melted, leave the tiakarete (chocolate) to cool for 5 minutes.
  • Add the pata kūteretere (softened butter), puehu huka (icing sugar) and wanira (vanilla) to a large bowl. Whip until light and fluffy for around 4-5 minutes.
  • Add the kōkō (cocoa) and whip it for 30 seconds.  
    Add the warm chocolate mixture, a few tablespoons at a time to the butter mixture as you whip continuously.
  • Once it is all incorporated, refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken slightly and then it is ready to use.

The Decorations – Ngā Whakarākei

  • Add around ⅓ C of the pani reka (buttercream and spread it over the top of the keke (cake). Once smooth, pipe a border around the edge. If you don't have a piping bag, just add small blobs of buttercream around the edge of the cake and use a spoon to create a border. This helps keep the filling in.
  • Add the pata hānati tiakarete (chocolate hazelnut spread) and spread it out to the edges of the border.
  • Drain the juice off the poihanapere (boysenberries) and add the berries on to the pata hānati tiakarete (chocolate hazelnut spread). I use around ¾ C of berries.
  • Add the second keke (cake) on top and press it down gently. Continue to spread the pani reka (buttercream) on top of the keke (cake) and down the sides. Make sure to take the time to smooth it out.
    Reserve ¼ C of the buttercream to pipe on top as anchors for the Forerro Rocher.
  • Place 8 whole Forerro Rocher around the edge of the cake on top of the piped buttercream. Cut the rest in half and add them in between the whole ones.
  • As an option, sprinkle with a handful of extra kongakonga hānati (hazelnut crumb). Kua rite te keke – the cake is ready.
  • This will keep in a well sealed container in a cool place for a few days. I don't like to keep my keke (cakes) in the pouaka mātao (refrigerator) but if you do, make sure you remove the cake from the fridge an hour before serving to give it time to come back to room temperature.

Video

https://d14qqjrp3wb13p.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/11192449/Choc-Hazelnut-Cake-WV-FInal.mp4

Filed Under: Cake - Keke

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Naomi Toilalo

Ko Naomi Toilalo ahau.
Welcome to my kāuta (kitchen), where together we will bake, create and learn te reo Māori (Māori language). With bi-lingual recipes and videos guiding you every step of the way, this is baking like you have never experienced before.
Nau mai, kuhu mai – come on in!

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