"chocolate hazelnut" news and stories

Flourless chocolate and hazelnut cake. Photo: Citrus and Candy.

Whether you call it a chocolate craving or a "dirty mood," like Karen from Citrus and Candy, there are some days (and nights) when nothing but a big piece of chocolate cake is going to sate the need for, well, a big piece of chocolate cake.

While many would simply hit the nearest bakery to quell such a specific sweet tooth, Karen decided -- long past midnight -- that she was going to bake this flourless chocolate-hazelnut version of the classic gâteau because ... why not? As if this were not enough, she topped it off with a similarly hued, liqueur-infused chocolate ganache -- just enough decadence to incite a craving of our own.

[Via Citrus and Candy]

While the idea of Nutella filled crepes is very tempting and crepes are not too difficult to make, they do take a bit more effort than more the thicker, American-style pancakes. Pancake batter is so adaptable that just about any ingredient can be worked into it, so I decided to work the chocolate-hazelnut spread into a basic pancake recipe for breakfast. There is just enough Nutella in the batter to give it a good flavor without being overwhelming or making the pancakes too heavy.

And yes, that is chocolate syrup on top of the pancakes in the picture, but I actually ate mine with maple syrup - I just wanted to emphasize the fact that they have an underlying chocolate flavor. By all means, use chocolate syrup if you are so inclined, but spreading the pancakes with a thin layer of Nutella or tossing a handful of chocolate chips into the batter might produce an even more decadent result.

The recipe is after the jump.