Deliciously tender low carb hazelnut cake with chocolate chips and a sugar-free chocolate glaze.
As you read this, Hurricane/Megastorm/Frakenstorm Sandy is barreling up the East Coast, and we are all under orders to stay home and hunker down. My kids have no school of course, much to my chagrin. We spent a restless Sunday already cooped up too much indoors, and I am kicking myself now for not getting them outside more while I could. It was wet, but not so much that we couldn’t have run around a little more and worked out some of that excess energy. Another day at home inside with all three is going to tax all of my inner strength. It always sounds like a charming prospect, everyone cozy at home, snuggling together while a storm rages outside. But those of you with small children know the reality, which is more along the lines of little monkeys swinging from the chandeliers while harried, exhausted parents try to come up with yet another activity to burn up half an hour and keep them from bickering and tearing the house to shreds.
I know I shouldn’t complain. I know that many of you are likely in the same position and feeling much the same way. And those of you directly affected by the storm and its chaos, I hope and pray you are safe and sound. I hope we all are. I hope we all get through this as unscathed as possible. And for those of you cooped up with small children, if your house hasn’t fallen due to wind and rain, I hope it hasn’t been completely torn apart by your kids! I know that this is serious and dire, and I shouldn’t joke about how my kids drive me crazy in the face of a national emergency. But humour gets me through good times and bad, so I will throw myself upon your mercy and hope you will forgive me.
And then I will distract you with cake. And what a glorious cake it is. Really, truly glorious. I originally envisioned it as a loaf cake, and I also envisioned it with cocoa powder in the batter, to make it chocolate all the way through. But as is my wont, I changed horses mid-stream and found myself buttering a bundt pan and chopping up chocolate to sprinkle throughout. I skipped the cocoa powder for the batter, and I am glad now I did. I find that hazelnut flour can easily be overpowered in flavour, and I wanted the hazel-nuttines to shine through. To that end, I emphasized it as much as possible, going with some hazelnut oil and hazelnut extract in addition to the flour.
And then, of course, I made a rich chocolate ganache and drizzled it over the top of the cake and down the sides. And I got the action shots to prove it. There is something about bundt cake that cries out for glaze. I’ve seen them without glaze, but I’ve never made one myself. Indeed, I think I would be incapable of making a bundt cake without glaze. Truth be told, the flavour of this cake was so good, it would have been fine without the chocolate glaze. Less decadent, yes, but really good nonetheless. But I just couldn’t resist the pull of chocolate oozing down the sides. Which took it from tea cake to dessert in a matter of moments.
And I’m thinking that as long as Sandy hasn’t knocked out my power, making this again would be a very productive use of my day.
Deliciously tender low carb hazelnut cake with chocolate chips and a sugar-free chocolate glaze.
- 3 cups hazelnut flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
- 1/3 cup unflavoured whey protein powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener or granulated erythritol
- 1/4 cup hazelnut oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp hazelnut extract
- 20 drops stevia extract
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1, 3.5- oz high cacao chocolate bar gluten-free, chopped
- 5 tbsp butter
- 2 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
- 2 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener or powdered erythritol
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 15 drops stevia extract
- 1 to 2 tbsp hazelnut oil
Preheat oven to 325F and grease a bundt pan very well, making sure to get in all crevices.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together hazelnut flour, whey protein, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum.
In a large bowl, beat butter and Swerve until lightened. Beat in hazelnut oil, eggs, hazelnut extract and stevia extract.
- Beat in hazelnut flour mixture in two batches, alternating with almond milk, until well combined.
- Stir in chopped chocolate.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until browned and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in pan 20 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Melt butter, chocolate, and powdered Swerve together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth.
- Stir in cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and stevia extract. Mixture will thicken considerably.
- Stir in hazelnut oil until mixture smooths out and is pourable.
- Pour over cooled cake and let set 1 hour.
Serves 12. Each serving has 9.8 g of carbs and and 4.9 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 4.9 g.
Roxana | Roxana's Home Baking says
a big slice of this cake would make me way happier while dealing with Sandy.
Stay safe Carolyn (hope your little monkeys don’t tear the house down)
shelly (cookies and cups) says
I am not sure low-carb has ever looked so good. Ever.
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
Stay safe! We’re just getting the tail-end of it here–lots of wind and rain! This is definitely a glorious cake. Ooh, that ganache!
Terri says
What happens if you skip the whey protein?
Carolyn says
The protein helps it rise and stay risen. So it might sink and be a lot more dense without it.
[email protected]'s Recipes says
A low-carb chocolate cake? Didn’t realize it’s possible! The cake looks amazing!
Trina says
Oh my … will be making this for sure 🙂 I was just eyeing a beautiful bundt pan from Nordic and thought … na … I won’t be making any bundt cakes. Guess I’ll run back out and get it 😉
claire @ the realistic nutritionist says
Carolyn!! This is soooo gorgeous!!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
this is one of the first things i saw on Pinterest this morning. WOW
Lisa | With Style and Grace says
Perfection!! Just looking at it, you’d never know it was gf and low carb!
Rebekah says
Stay safe my US friends, cake looks amazing!!
Renee says
I love the combination of chocolate and hazelnut. This cake is totally gourmet!
[email protected] says
Holy chocolate goodness, come to me!! That bundt looks incredibly delicious!
Eric says
This looks amazing! I was just wondering what percent chocolate you used when calculating the nutritional info.
Carolyn says
I use 90%. I often use Lindt when I can’t find gluten free, but there are a few brands that have 85% GF chocolate.
Donna says
As far as chocolate/hazelnut combinations are considered…this gorgeous bundt beauty clearly surpasses Nutella!..Bravo..it is my pre-programmed holiday cake thanks to your generous sharing of your culinary wizardry!…
Absolutely no one at the table will guess this is low-carb!
Donna says
Oops…forgot to ask an important question about the Swerve in the recipe…I cannot find it in France…but have noticed two sweeteners featuring erythritol…”Truvia” and “Purvia” or “Provia”?! ..They seem to have a bit of stevia in them as well…but the main ingredient seems to be erythritol…Any advice/recommendations!…I do so want to respect the integrity of your recipe and hopefully mimick it as closely as possible to obtain equally spectacular results!!…Thank you in advance for any enlightenment!
Carolyn says
Truvia would be fine. You may find you need to sweeten a bit more, because it doesn’t measure exactly like Swerve. As for the powdered version, you may need to grind it in a coffee grinder, and your glaze will be a touch grittier.
Heidi says
I do not have any hazelnut ingredients and do not prefer hazelnuts but really want to make this cake. Can I use Almond flour? What would you use instead of 1/4 cup hazelnut oil? Also for the frosting I am new to this kind of baking and do not have powdered Swerve Sweetener or powdered erythritol? I just ordered erythritol on line but did not see powdered? Where can I get this or what can I use instead so I can make this cake now? It is my birthday next week and want to make a cake that is Low Carb. Which Chocolate recipe from your site would you recommend? I am looking for easy and fast but good!
Thanks Heidi
Carolyn says
Yes, you can easily make this with almond flour. It’s actually yet another variation of my Almond Crusted Butter Cake https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/01/almond-crusted-butter-cake-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html and you can just use more butter in place of the hazelnut oil. You can just put it in a bundt pan, and you can do vanilla extract in place of almond, and leave out the almond crust. Whatever you like.
If you want to do the chocolate ganache without powdered erythritol, I’d suggest grinding the granulated as fine as you can in a coffee grinder or food processor. Your glaze may be a touch grittier, but will still be decent.
Yomi says
Do you think I can use Peanut flour instead of Hazelnut flour? I have a bag of peanut flour that came in a gift basket and I have no idea how to use it. Do you have any recipes that use Peanut flour?
Carolyn says
That depends…is it just ground peanuts or is it the really fine, powdery, defatted peanut flour? If it’s the latter, then no, you can sub it in because it’s much denser and will need a lot more eggs and liquid. I have plenty of recipes that use peanut flour…just use the search function to find them! 🙂
Yomi says
I have the roasted, defatted peanut flour (Protein Plus brand), 12% fat. Are you saying I cannot use it or I can use it? Also I searched your site and the recipes that came up did not specify which type of Peanut flour to use.
Donna says
Thank you so much for the rapid response!!..For now I will get the Truvia..and definitely try the coffee grinder-to-powdered sweetener approach…I need to research and will definitely be on the lookout for the Swerve so prominent in many of your amazing recipes!..Have a lovely autumn week and thanks again!
Kammie says
Okay I’ve been searching the web for hazelnut extract for the past month… Where did ou buy yours??
Carolyn says
I just bought mine at my local grocery store. Surely amazon sells it???
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
Well, if you’re going to be cooped up, I guess having a cake around is a good thing 😉 It looks amazing, by the way!
CJ at Food Stories says
This looks so good right now 🙂
Diane (createdbydiane) says
pass me a fork, I really want some of this!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Glorious indeed, there’s nothing quite like the combination of chocolate and hazelnuts!
Reegz says
Ok. I’m sure you appreciate all the comments but did anyone MAKE the cake?! Was it as delish as it looks?!!!!! 😉
Priscilla | ShesCookin says
Glad you were able to bake this scrumptious bundt cake before the power went out. It would definitely make hunkering down a little easier. As we know now, the Boston area and our friends and relatives who live there fared much better than NYC or NJ.
Donna Evans says
Hi Carolyn;
Could you tell me how much sugar would be used, rather than the other sweeteners? I would like to use maple sugar, agave, brown sugar or even honey. Thank you.
Carolyn says
I’d go for 3/4 cup sugar in the cake, and then the same amount of powdered sugar in the glaze. Or if you don’t want to use powdered sugar, agave in the glaze would make it really smooth, but you probably wouldn’t need the extra oil at the end.
Rebekah Phillips says
I don’t have any hazelnut oil, can I add more butter instead?
Carolyn says
You bet!
Lehnanne says
OK I made this cake today. It was incredible. I will be making this again. (and again and again.)
Jennifer Malmberg says
Hi Carolyn,
Just did a dry run of this cake in anticipation of my birthday. I followed your directions nearly to the T, but added a bit more erythritol and Stevia drops to both the cake and icing. It looked amazing and tasted even better. I would warn people to bake only 40 minutes and if in doubt, take out-even if it still looks a bit wet on top. Thank You!
Carolyn says
Whoa, I was worried when I saw the start of your comment. Glad it turned out well! It’s one of my faves.
Biggi says
I have a question. could i use anything else instead of the whey protein powder?
I haven’t been able to find that in any of my stores i’ve searched every blimpy store here in Germany so far, and it’s just simply not to find… it must be super easy to get in the states, but here a pack of 200 g is so incredibly expensive… there must be something to use instead…
i have been able to get whey powder, but i guess there is a big diffrence in whey powder and whey protein powder… right??
i would appreciate any kind of help…
Carolyn says
Not sure about just whey powder, not sure what that is. You can skip the protein powder here, but it may sink a little after baking. I’d add at least one additional egg to help with structure, if you can.
Biggi says
Thanks so much. Will try that.
Toni says
I am curious and want to know why in some recipes including this one it calls for swerve and then for stevia extract? Why not just use swerve only?
Thanks
Carolyn says
Several reasons…because when I first started baking low carb, I tended to use a combo of erythritol and stevia and I got very used to that. I also found that they enhanced each others sweetness. And because Swerve is expensive and this helps my readers stretch it out longer. But you are free to sweeten any recipe as you see fit.
Lisa Johnson says
I’m new to low carb baking and was wondering if I could use EZ-Sweetz liquid sweetener in place of the Stevia extract, as that is what I have on hand?
Carolyn says
Yes, but I am not sure exactly how much. I think EZ Sweetz may be more sweet than stevia. It should work just as well, though.
Lara says
Hi! I’ve been following your blog for a while now, and I love it! What I love the most is that the recipes look good and taste great. I tried this one out yesterday, and it was just incredible. Hard to believe its low carb, gluten free, sugar free etc. Thank you!
Kapu says
What could you use in place of the hazelnut oil?
Roberta in Alberta says
Hi Carolyn,
My brownie cheesecake is in the oven and I am just about to make this ganache recipe. How convenient that I will now have used one whole Ghirardelli chocolate bar!
Thank you for putting all of your creations “out there”. I have yet to make a flop from your posts and I do enjoy your delicious photos.
A bon sante!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it, Roberta. And a very good use for a Ghirardelli chocolate bar indeed!
Loretta says
I think the net carbs number should be 4.9 (?) for the hazelnut cake… 🙂
Katharine says
Hey Carolyn! Was about to start this any realized I have everything BUT the hazelnut extract. Should I choose a different recipe? Or will vanilla or almond extract be an ok sub? I’m kicking myself for not reading the recipe more closely before I went to the store. Typical distracted mom move. 🙂
Carolyn says
I have yet to find a hazelnut extract that provides very much hazelnut flavour so I think you’re probably okay going with vanilla. Don’t do almond, it will overpower.
Katharine says
I made this using vanilla extract instead of hazelnut. And I used a cake pan (don’t have a bundt). Gorgeous cake. Very rich and hazelnut-y even without the extract. Hazelnut is a “new” flavor to me so it’s very interesting to my taste buds! I’m excited to try a piece this morning (yes, this morning) after it settled a bit overnight. I find sometimes I like flavors even better the day after. The chocolate glaze/icing is great.
Suzan says
Could I use vital wheat gluten in place of the protein powder?
Thank you.
Suzan says
Ok. I answered my own question. I used VWG and an extra egg. I didn’t use the gum. I used hazelnut milk and I used sucralose liquid sweetner. I used coconut oil instead of butter. The results were great. I wasn’t concerned about gluten. I was concerned about carbs and I needed it to be dairy free. I made it in a 12 serving muffin pan that molds them to look like roses. I figured 8 carbs per muffin.
Suzan says
If it isn’t too much trouble when you list the sugar subs and amounts to use it would be helpful to know the sugar equivalent if we want to use a different sweetner than the one you’re using. When you say stevia extract,for ex., there are different stevia products and the conversion charts say different amounts. It is difficult to know how much sweetness you are going for.
Thank you.
laura says
Carolyn, thank you so much for your recipes, they are all amazing. I want to make this cake in advance for my husband’s birthday party on Saturday. how soon in advance could I possibly do this? thanks for your help!
Nadine says
Hi! I am hoping to try this delicious looking cake for a friend with gestational diabetes. Does your nutrition calculation include the ganache?
Thank you!
Carolyn says
Sure does!
Angela P. says
Hi Carolyn,
Let me start by saying I absolutely love your recipes. Could you please tell me what is your go to stevia drop brand is? I purchased a few in the past and I threw them all out, really bad taste… Anyways, greatly appreciate it..
Carolyn says
Well I don’t really use it anymore, to be honest. My son has appeared to develop an allergy. But I used to use NuNaturals. You can use that or you can simply sub another 1/4 cup Swerve.