FEATURE RECIPE
Crowd-pleasing chocolate cake with roast rhubarb

Crowd-pleasing chocolate cake with roast rhubarb

For more great dessert recipes, check out our gallery.

Serves 10

Cooking Time Prep time 20 mins, cook 55 mins (plus cooling)



125 gm   hazelnut meal
80 gm   plain flour
20 gm   Dutch-process cocoa, plus extra to serve
1 tsp   baking powder
280 gm   dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped
200 gm   unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
25 ml   espresso or coffee liqueur
5   eggs, separated
220 gm   (1 cup) raw caster sugar
To serve:   crème fraîche
Roast rhubarb
1 bunch   rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 5cm lengths
110 gm   raw caster sugar
2   oranges, juice only
1   vanilla bean, scraped seeds only


1 Preheat oven to 200C. Place rhubarb in a colander, rinse under running water, combine in a bowl with remaining ingredients, stir to coat. Transfer to a small roasting tray, cover with foil, roast until tender (10-15 minutes), set aside.
2 Reduce oven to 180C. Combine hazelnut meal, flour, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl, set aside. Melt chocolate, butter and espresso in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in yolks.
3 Whisk eggwhites in an electric mixer until firm peaks form (2-3 minutes), gradually add sugar, whisking until thick and glossy. Fold into chocolate mixture, then fold in hazelnut mixture. Spoon into a 22cm-diameter buttered and base-lined springform cake tin and bake until a skewer withdraws clean (30-35 minutes). Cool completely in tin, remove, dust with extra cocoa and serve with crème fraîche and roast rhubarb. Store at room temperature. Best eaten on day of making.

This recipe is from the August 2009 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.

Drink Suggestion Small glass of tokay.

RECIPE Emma Knowles PHOTOGRAPHY Ben Dearnley STYLING Geraldine Munoz and Emma Knowles DRINK SUGGESTION Max Allen


Missed an edition of Gourmet Traveller?
Access our back issues from as far back as June 2010 at the tap of your finger, catch up on our latest issue or subscribe now by downloading the Gourmet Traveller iPad app today.

Visit the iTunes store


Search by cuisine, name, ingredients...