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Home » Recipes » Recipes

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

Modified: Jul 15, 2021 · Published: Nov 25, 2016 by Rhian Williams

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I can't get over how delicious this Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cake is - it tastes reminiscent of Nutella, it's rich and indulgent, and perfectly soft and fudgy.

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

It's actually a slight adaptation of my Chocolate Torte recipe, substituting ground hazelnuts for ground almonds and adding a splash of Amaretto and cherries for a slightly festive twist.

I absolutely love the combination of the nutty hazelnuts, rich chocolate, fudgy dates, fragrant Amaretto and sweet cherries. The icing is totally optional, but in my opinion really takes this cake to the next level!

This cake may be vegan, gluten-free and easily refined sugar free, but you certainly won't notice it! The flavours in it mean it's great for Christmas, but it would be just as perfect at any other time of year I think!

It also just happens to be really quick and easy to make! The most difficult part is probably puréeing the dates, but once that's over, there's no sifting of flours or cracking of eggs to worry about, which makes this cake an absolute dream for lazy bakers like myself!

For more delicious cakes, you might like my:

  • Red Velvet Cake
  • Chocolate Truffle Cake
  • Tropical Carrot Cake
  • Lemon Blueberry Cake
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
  • Chocolate Sponge Layer Cake
  • Black Forest Cake

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Helpful tools to make this Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cake:

food processor

blender

hand-held stick blender

glass mixing bowl

measuring jug

18cm / 7 inch springform baking tin

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

This Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cake tastes reminiscent of Nutella, it's rich and indulgent, and perfectly soft and fudgy.
4 from 17 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: European
Keyword: gluten-free chocolate hazelnut cake, paleo chocolate cake, vegan chocolate hazelnut cake
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 288kcal

Ingredients

  • 130 g (¾ cup) pitted dates soaked overnight in cold water or for 10 minutes in boiling water and drained
  • 200 g (2 cups) ground hazelnuts (if you can't get hold of this, you can grind the hazelnuts into a fine powder using a food processor)
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
  • ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • 80 ml (⅓ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
  • Optional: Salt, to taste
  • Optional: 100g (½ cup) tinned or fresh cherries, pitted and halved
  • Optional: Splash of Amaretto (ensure gluten-free/vegan if necessary*)

For the icing (optional)*:

  • 40 g (¼ cup) dark chocolate (ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary)
  • 6 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
  • Use a food processor or blender (or hand-held blender) to blend the dates into a smooth purée
  • Add the puréed dates into a bowl along with all the other ingredients and mix well
  • Transfer to your (greased) baking dish of choice - I used a 7inch/18cm round springform baking tin
  • Bake in oven for around 20 minutes

For the icing:

  • Once the cake is completely cooled, make the icing - melt the chocolate in a bain-marie or microwave
  • Add the milk a teaspoon at a time, until you get the desired consistency
  • Spread evenly over the cake
  • The cake keeps well in the fridge for up to a few days

Notes

*For a refined sugar free version, omit all starred ingredients and use fresh cherries instead of tinned
Nutrition Facts
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 288
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

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Comments

    4 from 17 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Rachna

    August 22, 2019 at 4:25 pm

    Hi

    Looks yummy! One question - I thought we always need to add some vinegar or
    lemon juice as that reacts with the baking soda and helps to make the cake fluffy. I noticed your recipe doesn’t include any acid. Should we include acid? If yes, how much? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Rhian Williams

      August 22, 2019 at 9:15 pm

      Hi, thank you! I didn't think this particular recipe required the acid and baking soda combination because there's no flour in the recipe. Plus this cake has a fudgy than spongey texture anyway. But you could try adding 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar if you like!

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Hi, I’m Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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