Giada De Laurentiis' Chocolate Cake Has a Secret Ingredient You'll Want To Put In Everything
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We’ve always known that chocolate and hazelnut are a divine pairing, but what we didn’t know about was the history of the flavor combination. Italian gianduja, chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella, ever heard of it?), was invented in the early 19th century, when Italy was forbidden from trading with Britain by Napoleon. That meant less chocolate to work with, and it was more expensive chocolate. Italian chocolatiers had a solution — add hazelnuts, abundant in areas of the county, to the chocolate. Thus a legendary flavor duo was born, and Giada De Laurentiis’ chocolate hazelnut cake is the perfect celebration.
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De Laurentiis shared a video of her cake to her Instagram with the caption reading, “Celebrating #ChocolateCakeDay the Italian way! In the north of Italy, the iconic duo of chocolate and hazelnut steals the spotlight. With the world’s finest chocolatiers and the flavorful IGP Piedmont Hazelnut, it’s a match made in dessert heaven! Tap the link in our bio for our Chocolate Hazelnut Olive Oil Cake #recipe!”
De Laurentiis’ chocolate hazelnut cake is dark, rich, and moist, thanks to two kinds of oil: olive oil, which you probably have on hand, and the secret ingredinet: hazelnut oil. If you’ve never used hazelnut oil before, you’re about to have a new culinary obsession. Not only does it add a deep hazelnut flavor to this cake, but it can be used in all sorts of sweet and savory applications. Add some in the place of regular oil when making cookies and cakes to give them a nutty flavor, drizzle over roasted veggies, soups, salads, or in pasta to add hazelnut fragrance and flavor to each bite.
Guido Gobino Hazelnut Oil
You can get imported Italian Guido Gobino Hazelnut Oil from the Giadzy shop. It’s a cold-pressed oil, unfiltered, made from Piedmontese hazelnuts. However, it’s a bit pricy. Luckily, we found some affordable alternatives on Amazon from both Roland and La Tourangelle. You can try it to see if you love it, and then splurge on the fancy bottle once you become as obsessed with it as we are.
Roland Roasted Hazelnut Oil
La Tourangelle Roasted Hazelnut Oil
The rest of the cake uses ingredients you probably already have on hand, like cocoa powder, milk, eggs, and chocolate chips. But don’t skip the hazelnut oil — it’s what makes this chocolate cake so special.
Before you go, check out our slideshow below:
Watch: How to Make Giada De Laurentiis’ Stuffed Lasagna Rolls
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