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.
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, boozy Amaretto and the sweet, fragrant 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
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
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you click through and purchase any of these films, 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.
Rachna
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.
Rhian Williams
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!