Gluten-free Chocolate Hazelnut Cake - Keke Hānati Tiakarete Kore-Wīti
A gluten-free chocolate and hazelnut cake filled with hazelnut spread, canned boysenberries and fresh berries. Covered in a delicious chocolate buttercream.
Servings 12 servings (1 x 20 cm layered cake)
Ingredients
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake - Keke Tiakarete me te Hānati
- ¾ C (185 ml) miraka (milk)
- 2 tbsp winika (vinegar)
- 1 C (100 g) kōkō
- ⅓ C (75 g) huka hāura (brown sugar)
- ½ tsp tote (salt, fine)
- ½ tbsp paura kawhe (coffee powder, instant)
- 1 C (250 ml) wai wera (hot water, from the kettle)
- 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 (175 g) gluten-free baking mix (I use the Healtheries baking mix)
- ½ tsp pēkana paura (baking powder)
- ½ 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)
- 10 rahipere (raspberries, fresh)
- 8 parakipere (blackberries)
- A handful of hānati nakunaku (crushed hazelnuts, optional)
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 kore-wīti (gluten-free flour mix), 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.
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 small 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
- Once the cakes are completely cool and the pani reka (buttercream) is ready to go, it is time to assemble.
- Place the first cake on to a serving plate or cake stand. Add around ⅓ C of the pani reka (buttercream and spread it over the top of the keke (cake). Once smooth, pipe on a boarder 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 that you created.
- 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. Pipe around ¼ C of the buttercream on top of the cake in whatever fashion you want.
- Add the rahipere (raspberries) around the top of the cake. Cut the parakipere (blackberries) in half and arrange them in between the rahipere (raspberries). As an option, sprinkle with a handful of extra kongakonga hānati (hazelnut crumb).
- This cake will keep will in a sealed container for a few days. Do not add the berries until the day you are planning on serving the cake. 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.