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Turn this moist, dense and truly chocolaty cake into an elegant dessert by garnishing each serving with a dollop of whipped cream, some fresh raspberries and a light dusting of cocoa. Note that this cake does not contain any leavening: beaten egg whites alone are used to lighten it.
Makes 12 servings
Prep time: 1 hour
Start to finish: 2 1/2 hours
Equipment: 9-inch round cake pan
Ease of preparation: moderate (some baking skills required
CAKE:
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates cup unsweetened cocoa powder, “natural” or Dutch-process
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
2 slices firm white sandwich bread, crusts trimmed
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar, divided
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 large egg whites or 2 tablespoons dried egg whites, reconstituted according to package directions
TO PREPARE CAKE: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment or wax paper.
Combine dates, cocoa and instant coffee in a small bowl. Add boiling water and stir until cocoa has dissolved. Cover and let stand until dates have softened and mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, spread hazelnuts in a shallow baking dish and bake until fragrant and lightly toasted, 5 to 1 0 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
Grind bread into fine crumbs in a food processor. Measure to make sure you have 1/2 cup. Transfer to a large bowl. (No need to wash the workbowl between steps.)
Place 1/2 cup hazelnuts in the food processor. Add flour and salt; process until nuts are finely ground. Transfer to the howl with the breadcrumbs.
Scrape the cooled date mixture into the food processor. Add 1/3 cup sugar, oil, vanilla and whole egg; process until smooth, stopping several times to scrape down the sides of the workbowl. Scrape the mixture into the howl with the brcadcrumbs and nuts. Mix gently with a rubber spatula.
In a large clean mixing bowl, beat egg white mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form. Add one-fourth of the beaten egg whites to the batter and whisk until blended, Fold in the remaining whites with a rubber spatula just until blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.
Bake until the top springs back when touched lightly, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Spray the rack with cooking spray and invert the cake onto it to cool completely.
MEANWHILE, TO PREPARE GLAZE: Combine cocoa, chocolate, corn syrup and instant coffee in a medium bowl. Add boiling water and stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar to the chocolate mixture, beating with an electric mixer, slowly at first, then gradually increasing speed, until the glaze is smooth and thickened. (The mixture may seem lumpy at first, but it will smooth out.) Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until the mixture is set, about 30 minutes.
TO FINISH THE CAKE, place it bottom-side up on a serving plate. Place several strips of wax paper under the bottom edge to protect the plate from drips. Spoon on glaze and spread it evenly over the top and sides of the cake with an icing spatula or knife. Arrange the remaining 2 tablespoons hazelnuts around the top outside edge. Discard the wax paper before serving.
PER SERVING: 234 calories; 9 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 18 mg cholesterol; 38 g carbohydrate; 5 g protein; 4 g fiber; 86 mg sodium
NUTRITION BONUS: 15% DV fiber
TO MAKE AHEAD: Prepare through step 8. The cake will keep, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to i day or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Original Cake: 496 calories
40 grams total fat
89 grams saturated
EW Chocolate- Hazelnut Cake: 234 calories
9 grams total fat
2 grams saturated
WHAT WE DID: Our first tactic was to establish a rich, complex flavor by relying on nuts, whose fat is primarily the cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated kind. Using a classic French recipe called Gatean Reine de Saba (Queen of Sheba Cake) as our model, we were able to reduce the saturated fat significantly by replacing the chocolate in the cake with cocoa and substituting dates for the butter. (Cocoa delivers the same essential flavor as baker’s chocolate but without the saturated fat.) Applesauce and prune puree are well-known substitutes for fat in baking, but dates have a remarkable flavor affinity with chocolate and work unexpected magic in this case.
