Crispy Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut and Sour Cream
Ingredients
For the Cake
1/2cunsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan(one stick)
3/4cgranulated sugarplus 2 Tbls, plus more for the pan
8ozbittersweet chocolate, at least 67% cacaofinely chopped
1/2cNutella, hazelnut spread, almond butter or tahiniI used Nutella
6largeeggs
1/2chazelnut or almond flour
2Tblsunsweetened cocoa powder
1tspkosher salt
For the Topping/Accompaniment
1cheavy cream
1/4cconfectioners' sugar
pinch of kosher salt
1csour cream
1/4cNutella
brandied, maraschino or Luxardo cherriesoptional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with softened butter or cooking spray. (You can use any 9-inch cake pan, but line it with parchment paper with some overhang so you can easily remove the finished cake). Sprinkle the inside with sugar and rotate the pan to coat the bottom and sides evenly; tap out excess.
Make the Cake
Combine the chocolate, Nutella, and butter in a large heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a small pot of simmering water and heat, stirring often, until the chocolate and butter have melted and you can stir everything together to a smooth, creamy mixture. Remove from the heat and set aside. (Alternatively, microwave in 30-second increments until evenly melted.)
Separate 4 of the eggs, placing the whites in a large mixing bowl (either a bowl fitted for a stand mixer or a bowl large enough to handle a hand mixer). Place the yolks in another large bowl and add the hazelnut or almond flour, cocoa powder, salt and the remaining 2 whole eggs and whisk to blend well. Using a spatula, gently and gradually mix the egg yolk mixture into the melted chocolate mixture (don't use a whick here; the batter will get stuck in the wires).
With the mixer on high, beat the egg whites. When they start to get light and foamy, gradually add 3/4 c sugar, a tablespoon or two at a time, and continue to beat until egg whites have tripled in volume and are light, fluffy, opague and hold stiff peaks. They should look like a very good meringue that you could frost a cake with (that's not what you'll be doing, but just saying).
Using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until it's just combined and no obvious white streaks remain; avoid overmixing (that would deflate all that air that you worked so hard to build into the egg whites).
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinle with 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar and bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the top looks puffed and lightly cracked, like a soufle (it should still have a little jiggle), 35 to 40 minutes.
Let cool completely (if you have a wire rack, use it). During this time, something seemingly tragic will happen--the center of the cake will collapse, causing further cracking around the edges. This is the intended effect, so don't worry--it's where those crispy edges come from, the reason we are all here.
Prepare Topping/Accompaniment
Using an electric mixer (or a whisk and elbow grease), whip the cream, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until you've got medium-stiff peaks, then whisk in the sour cream. For a streaky effect, fold in the Nutella using a spatula or just whisk it in. Use this mixture to top the cake or serve on the side to preserve the cake's crispy texture. If desired, serve with some delicious cherries for snacking on in between bites.
Notes
You can bake this cake up to 2 days ahead, wrap it tightly, and store at room temperature.