A Chocolate Cake with Character: Buckwheat, Hazelnut and Applesauce

November 12, 2008

chocolate cake buckwheat hazelnut applesauce gluten free

Baking with Dark Chocolate

“What’s this nice smell?” P. asked as soon as he opened the front door, coming back from the grocery store. “You’ve been baking!”

I had indeed.

I had not planned to bake during the weekend though, but then I kept imagining the taste of chocolate in my mouth. For sure, with many other things, bébé will have to love chocolate, dark more precisely.

At least this is what I hope.

My friend K.’s lovely daughter does; she started to develop this strong liking when she was only a toddler. She used to call dark chocolate the adult chocolate.

I used to smile each time I heard her say that, with her mouth and fingers covered with melted chocolate. After all, it is all a question of taste, even if I am still going to praise dark chocolate versus the others.

chocolate cake buckwheat hazelnut applesauce gluten free

So I gave in to the craving and baked a chocolate cake. A very simple chocolate cake using some of the 1 kg piece of Valrhona chocolate Akiko and Pierre kindly gave us during their recent visit, homemade applesauce flavored with vanilla, and buckwheat and hazelnut flours. Out of curiosity, to see what taste I would end up having, and also because buckwheat* flour, like quinoa flour, is full of protein and rich in iron, amongst many other fantastic nutrients (like rutin and zinc). Then, since I also had recently ordered a bag of Valrhona’s Grué de cacao (cocoa nibs), I added 2 tablespoons of those as well.

Note that unlike its name suggests, buckwheat is not related to wheat, and is a gluten free product, for people sensitive and intolerant to gluten.

chocolate cake buckwheat hazelnut applesauce gluten free

The cake did not disappoint. In fact, I loved everything about it. It was extremely moist in texture, with a strong taste of dark chocolate hued by the addition of apple compote, with also just the right amount of sugar to my liking — I tend to not like cakes too sweet. And to finish, a discreet nutty touch came through, complementing the dark chocolate perfectly.

In the end, I was quite glad I had decided to bake, even if the cake did not last for very long. Then, it was really hard to with P. and I always finding clever excuses to have another slice, a few times during the entire weekend.

Hopefully, you will enjoy it as much as we all did in our household.

chocolate cake buckwheat hazelnut applesauce gluten free

Dark Chocolate Cake with Buckwheat, Hazelnut and Applesauce

A Chocolate Cake with Buckwheat, Hazelnut and Applesauce

You need:

  • 4.5 oz dark chocolate, 61 % cocoa, Valrhona noir
  • 3.5 oz unsalted butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/3 cup blond cane sugar+ 1 tablespoon for the egg whites
  • 3 leveled tablespoons light muscovado sugar
  • 1/3 cup homemade applesauce
  • 1/3 cup hazelnut flour
  • 1/3 cup quinoa flour
  • 1/3 cup buckwheat flour
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa nibs (optional)
  • Pinch of salt
  • Confectioner’s sugar, to serve (optional)

Steps:

  • Preheat your oven at 350 F. Grease an 8-inch mold. Place a piece of parchment at the bottom, and dust the sides with flour, and tap the excess out.
  • Beat the egg yolks with the two sugars until white in color.
  • Add the applesauce; set aside.
  • In the meantime, put the chocolate and butter in a bowl, and place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Cook until melted. Let cool slightly.
  • Combine the chocolate/butter to the egg yolk/sugar mixture.
  • Add the flours and cocoa nibs if using and mix.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites firm with a pinch of salt. When they are almost done, add 1 tablespoon sugar and continue to beat for 45 seconds, until firmer.
  • Fold the egg whites into the chocolate preparation in 2 times, making sure not to deflate the batter.
  • Pour into the mold, and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the blade of a sharp knife inserted in the middle comes out almost entirely dry. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool on a rack. Run a knife around the edges to release the cake, if necessary. Unmold and let cool. When serving, dust with confectioner’s sugar.
Le coin français
Gâteau au chocolat au sarrasin, noisettes et compote de pommes

Ingrédients :

  • 125 g de chocolat noir à 61% de cacao (Valrhona noir)
  • 100 g de beurre non salé
  • 4 oeufs
  • 70 g de sucre de canne blond + 1 càs pour les blancs en neige
  • 3 càs rases de sucre roux de canne Muscovado (couleur blonde)
  • 125 g de compote de pommes maison (125 g)
  • 30 g de farine de noisettes
  • 40 g de farine de quinoa
  • 40 g de farine de sarrasin
  • 2 càs de grué de cacao (facultatif)
  • Pincée de sel
  • Sucre glace, pour saupoudrer (facultatif)

Etapes :

  • Préchauffez le four à 180 C. Beurrez un moule à manqué de 20 cm. Mettez un morceau de papier sulfurisé rond au fond et farinez les bords du moule; enlevez l’excédent de farine en tapotant sur le moule.
  • Dans un bol, ou en utilisant un mixeur, battez les jaunes d’oeuf avec les deux sucres jusqu’à blanchiment.
  • Ajoutez la compote de pommes, et mélangez.
  • Pendant ce temps, faites fondre le beurre avec le chocolat au bain-marie. Laissez un peu refroidir.
  • Ajoutez le mélange chocolat/beurre à la préparataion oeufs/sucre.
  • Ajoutez ensuite les farines, sans trop travailler la pâte et le grué de cacao, si vous en utilisez.
  • Dans un autre bol, montez les blancs en neige avec une pincée de sel. Une fois qu’ils sont presques fermes, ajoutez 1 càs de sucre pour les serrer davantage.
  • Ajoutez délicatement cette neige à la préparation au chocolat, en deux fois, en prêtant attention à ne pas faire tomber la masse.
  • Versez dans le moule et enfournez pendant environ 30 minutes, jusqu’à ce que la lame d’un couteau insérée au milieu en ressorte presque entièrement sèche. Sortez le gâteau du four et laissez-le refroidir sur grille avant de le démouler — si nécessaire, passez une lame de couteau autour des bords pour mieux le démouler. Au moment de servir, saupoudrez de sucre glace.
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Tagged as: Breakfast , Cakes , Chocolate , Dessert , Gluten Free
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61 Comments »

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  1. Gorgeus, my girl! You are gorgeous!

    C.

    Comment by Claudia — On November, 12th, 2008 at 7:26 pm

  2. I’ve just bought buckwheat flour and dark chocolate. I’m so sorry I didn’t bring the hazelnut flour home… This cake looks delicious!

    Comment by Carla — On November, 12th, 2008 at 8:00 pm

  3. Sounds delicious! Looks delicious! I hope I can make it some day! I love your use of “other” ingredients!

    Comment by Kelli — On November, 12th, 2008 at 8:24 pm

  4. Delicious! Dark chocolate is my fav flavours. And the cake is a great way to showcase its flavour!

    Comment by Anh — On November, 12th, 2008 at 9:04 pm

  5. love chocolate,love cake~

    so yummy!

    Comment by YOYO's Cooking — On November, 12th, 2008 at 9:09 pm

  6. glorious!
    i know what i’m making this weekend..
    xo

    Comment by jennifer m. — On November, 12th, 2008 at 10:14 pm

  7. This looks phenomenal! Where do you buy hazelnut flour? Do you think I could substitute almond flour or hazelnuts ground in a food processor?

    Comment by ~M — On November, 12th, 2008 at 10:57 pm

  8. A delightful cake! I bet it tastes incredibly good!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Comment by Rosa — On November, 13th, 2008 at 1:53 am

  9. hi I’d love to make this but I’ve never seen hazelnut flour, could I use ground hazelnuts or ground almonds instead? Claire, Wales UKxx

    Comment by claire — On November, 13th, 2008 at 5:39 am

  10. I am bookmarking this recipe for sure Bea. It must be nutty and hearty and moist from the applesauce. Lovely!

    Comment by Aran — On November, 13th, 2008 at 5:57 am

  11. I love the combination of flours you used in this cake! I am adding to to my “to make” list! Thanks for making another great gluten-free recipe!:)

    Comment by Jennifer — On November, 13th, 2008 at 6:38 am

  12. Ce gâteau a l’air extra, fort en saveurs, et délicieux. Je note cette recette, à faire urgemment :)

    Comment by Botacook — On November, 13th, 2008 at 7:49 am

  13. That looks delicious, Bea. I already love chocolate and hazelnuts together, and being Valrhona… :)

    Comment by Patricia Scarpin — On November, 13th, 2008 at 9:31 am

  14. This cake looks so fluffy!
    This morning I’ve made the brownies+cheesecake with your recipe..can’t wait to taste them for dinner! ciao from Italy

    Comment by Alessandra — On November, 13th, 2008 at 10:27 am

  15. Yeah! Another gluten-free cake recipe! Merci beaucoup, Béa.

    P.S. Have you ever seen the blog, “Under the high chair”?

    Comment by valérie-jeanne — On November, 13th, 2008 at 10:46 am

  16. This looks and sounds perfect. My 5 year old is a dark chocolate lover too. I can’t wait to try making this cake. Do you think it would work with almond flour as well?

    Comment by Holly — On November, 13th, 2008 at 10:56 am

  17. J’ai envoyer de suite la recette a mon papa! Je vais surement lui faire pendant leur prochaine visite anyways! Looks and sounds perfect with a cup of tea!

    Comment by Tartelette — On November, 13th, 2008 at 11:16 am

  18. I have been having that chocolate cakey feeling the last few days. Your recipe looks like it might do the trick!
    I just love it when kids like good food. The other day I heard a mother and young daughter discussing the contents of their shopping cart. The little girl was as excited about sardines and curries as many kids get about hot dogs and hamburgers. I hope I have a kid like that.

    Comment by Erin — On November, 13th, 2008 at 11:18 am

  19. This does indeed look dellcieux! In addition to the question of the almond flour substitution, where can one find quinoa flour? Can I just grind up the grains?

    Comment by Christel — On November, 13th, 2008 at 11:54 am

  20. this looks like a great recipe and i can’t wait to experiment with buckwheat flour!!

    Comment by the purcells — On November, 13th, 2008 at 2:16 pm

  21. Looks good for breakfast over a glass of soya milk :)

    Comment by mycookinghut — On November, 13th, 2008 at 3:45 pm

  22. un gâteau qui me tente beaucoup !

    Comment by Elsa — On November, 14th, 2008 at 5:19 am

  23. That sounds like just the type of chocolate cake I would like! And coincidentally I just made a chocolate cake too! I love dark chocolate and if I had a bebe I am sure I would try to win him/her over to the dark chocolate side too :)

    Comment by joey — On November, 14th, 2008 at 6:14 am

  24. J’aime beaucoup l’idee de la farine de sarrasin et de la compote de pomme dans ce gateau Bea, vraiment inhabituel et vraiment tres tentant.
    Bonjour a bebe :)

    Comment by gracianne — On November, 14th, 2008 at 10:28 am

  25. this look really good! My gf love dark chocolate so she will be more than willing to make this! btw, great photo shots too! :)

    Comment by chumpman — On November, 14th, 2008 at 12:19 pm

  26. Wow, words cannot describe how incredible this cake looks. Awesome :)

    Comment by Rockaroo — On November, 14th, 2008 at 3:53 pm

  27. Hello everyone, once again, thanks for stopping by to say hello.

    A few answers. You can easily substitute hazelnut flour with almond flour — I simply tend to like the taste of hazelnuts more. And of course, you can easily make hazelnut flour/meal yourself. Dry roast hazelnuts first and then grind them extremely finely — I would tend to think you need a powerful grinder/mixer to do so. I typically buy mine, although I have made it before too. I hope you enjoy it.
    Also, you can find quinoa flour at Whole Foods, in the US, and if not there, in many online stores. I do not think grinding the grain will give you flour — I have personally never done it.

    Comment by Béa — On November, 14th, 2008 at 7:13 pm

  28. Oh cette photo!

    Comment by Flo Bretzel — On November, 15th, 2008 at 3:15 am

  29. I was looking for chocolate cake with different variety, your chocolate cake is excellent, Addition of apple sauce had added extra flavour.

    Thanks for posting.

    Alice

    Comment by Culinary Careers — On November, 15th, 2008 at 9:19 am

  30. I LOVE your blog. I just found it, but im already inlove

    Comment by Mikaela — On November, 15th, 2008 at 10:58 am

  31. That looks so good! So soft and spungy and very tempting! Lovely pictures!

    Comment by PG — On November, 15th, 2008 at 10:59 am

  32. Oo La La! Sounds wonderful! As great lovers of chocolate, I’m going to try this one over the Holidays.

    Merci beaucoup!

    Comment by KellyF — On November, 15th, 2008 at 11:51 am

  33. This is an invite to take part at my ‘Good deed’ contest.There is also a prize.Chocolat.

    Comment by Chocolat — On November, 15th, 2008 at 3:10 pm

  34. It looks wonderfully light and moist. Love the sound of the buckwheat flour adding a nutty touch

    Comment by Katie — On November, 15th, 2008 at 3:45 pm

  35. I have used applesauce in my baking instead of butter and I love the results, but I’ve never used both; it has to be delicious.

    Comment by Pia — On November, 16th, 2008 at 6:59 am

  36. forcément… avec un tel descriptif, je ne peux que fondre et pour une fois, prendre le temps de te dire que je n’oublie pas de visiter régulièrement ton petit univers, toujours aussi parfaitement accueillant

    Comment by alhya — On November, 16th, 2008 at 5:04 pm

  37. Bea–Your gluten-free recipes have been my favorites since I recently started cooking for a man with celiac disease. And, yes, I thought I would let you know that you can grind the quinoa into flour. I used my coffee bean grinder and ground small batches. The flour was used to make the chocolate banana bread recipe that you created. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive.

    Comment by Andrea — On November, 16th, 2008 at 7:21 pm

  38. The cake looks amazing! I love the combination of chocolate and hazelnut as well. This recipe reminds me of my recent discovery of hazelnut butter, a non dairy product of ground hazelnuts. Any thoughts on how to substitute butter with the hazelnut butter to give it a more pronounced nut flavor?

    Comment by Diana — On November, 16th, 2008 at 7:31 pm

  39. Wow! Absolutely one of the best “sweet” blogs out there…(and sometimes it feels like I´ve seen them all!) Great photos as well!
    Will definately put a link from my blog to yours!

    / john

    Comment by John — On November, 16th, 2008 at 9:42 pm

  40. I am going to try this with oat flour in place of the buckwheat flour and with erythritol in place of the sugar to cut back on the carbs. It looks lovely!

    Comment by Lauren — On November, 17th, 2008 at 1:13 am

  41. Your photography is absolutely breath taking. I’ve been planning on experimenting with applesauce in my baking and this may have just given me the push to do it.

    Comment by Dana aka Gluten Free in Cleveland — On November, 17th, 2008 at 1:34 am

  42. Thank you, once again, to you all!

    Andrea, many thanks for the lovely feedback, it makes me really pleased to hear, and so happy also that you gave the quinoa tip. I want to try now myself — although I am lucky to have quinoa flour extremely accessible! ;-)

    Diana, I would combine half hazelnut butter and canola oil for example. I’ve made a chocolate cake before using almond butter and it really worked well too. I have yet to post the recipe!

    John, so sweet, thank you!

    Lauren and Dana, thank you. Erythritol? What is this? You are intriguing me….

    Comment by Béa — On November, 17th, 2008 at 8:49 am

  43. That cake looks and sound totally delicious Bea. And with the different flours and applesauce, I can convince myself it’s a super health food :-)

    Comment by Inne — On November, 17th, 2008 at 9:00 am

  44. @ Lauren: whole buckwheat flour actually has blood-sugar lowering properties, so it would be better for low-carb baking than oat flour.

    Comment by Alexandra — On November, 18th, 2008 at 8:56 am

  45. [...] The first time I stumbled across La Tartine Gourmande, I was living in Paris and addicted to French food blogs. LTG’s author, Béatrice Peltre, had left a comment on Chocolate and Zucchini, and I clicked on her name to see who she was. Well I’ll be, I thought; Béa lives in Boston. And then la nostalgie commenced, as well as le drooling over Béa’s gorgeous, editorial-quality photographs and whimsical recipes. There is much passion and enthusiasm in Béa’s cheery, anecdotal posts -”I had not planned to bake during the weekend though, but then I kept imagining the taste of chocolate in my mouth. For sure, with many other things, bébé will have to love chocolate, dark more precisely,” she notes in the intro to her recipe for Dark Chocolate Cake with Buckwheat, Hazelnut, and Applesauce. [...]

    Pingback by bostontparties.com » Boston T Partyers: La Tartine Gourmande — On November, 18th, 2008 at 10:32 am

  46. i absolutely adore this website!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Comment by kosenrufu mama — On November, 18th, 2008 at 1:24 pm

  47. Il a l’air absolument fabuleux. Les fans de chocolat ici vont être vraiment ravis.
    Chrys

    Comment by Chrystel — On November, 18th, 2008 at 2:59 pm

  48. Je dois faire un gâteau d’anni ce week-end et je vais essayer celui-ci. Il a l’air délicieux. Quelle farine de noisettes utilises-tu ici aux USA? J’ai de la farine de Bob’s Red Mill. Elle n’est pas particulièrement fine. Est-ce qu’elle fera l’affaire ? Merci et bises,
    MC

    Comment by MC — On November, 19th, 2008 at 1:13 pm

  49. MC, j’utilise aussi celle de Bob’s Red Mill Ca marche sans problème. Bonne pâtisserie !

    Comment by Béa — On November, 19th, 2008 at 1:23 pm

  50. The more I browse your blog the more baking I know I need to do. Is chocolate cake breakfast food!
    Buckwheat flour is something I have been trying to incorporate more so I am happy to see this recipe.

    Comment by bakingbarb — On November, 21st, 2008 at 10:20 am

  51. Oh il a l’air extra !

    Comment by PHILO — On November, 23rd, 2008 at 11:41 am

  52. I was looking for ideas for a buckwheat/hazelnut flour baked good (I adore buckwheat!), and this looks decadent – I look foward to trying an adaptation of this recipe to fit my own allergies! thanks, as always, for such a marvelous recipe.

    Comment by Kim — On January, 12th, 2009 at 10:11 am

  53. [...] A Chocolate Cake with Character: Buckwheat, Hazelnut and Applesauce [...]

    Pingback by Club Chocolate Blog Recipe of the Day | Club Chocolate Blog - Gourmet Chocolate and Fine Chocolate — On January, 26th, 2009 at 3:20 pm

  54. I made this cake for a friend who can’t eat wheat. We couldn’t find any quinoa flour, and ended up with barley flour. The cake was wonderful, so wonderful that absolutely everyone liked it. In fact, someone called to tell me how good it was and then came over when he discovered there was some left. This is an absolutely brilliant cake and I highly recommend, especially if you like dark chocolate.

    Comment by Fuzzy & Blue — On March, 10th, 2009 at 9:28 am

  55. Oh thankyou :) I’m so often reading your blog and browsing the beautiful recipes and imagining making them… yesterday I made your vanilla crepes with a gluten-free flour blend (which turned out beautifully) and tonight spur of the moment made this beautiful cake. I had no quinoa flour so instead used extra of the buckwheat and hazelnut, and the result was a gloriously brilliant, dense, not too sweet chocolate cake. We dusted it with icing sugar in the shape of a four-leaf clover for St. Patrick’s Day.

    Comment by Leisha — On March, 16th, 2009 at 6:12 pm

  56. Back again – I made the cake the other day for another event, and this time used almond flour made from almonds ground in a coffee grinder. The cake was even more amazing than the last time – I couldn’t have thought it possible!!

    Comment by Leisha — On April, 2nd, 2009 at 3:14 pm

  57. I found your website and this recipe in November and have been making it ever since. It is fabulous and well received. I made one for my pastry chef friend who adored it and the flavors – she said she would never have known it was gluten free cake. I have had to make modifications to the recipe because I often don’t have the time to make sure I have apple compote on hand. Plus I don’t like things too sweet. So my major modification was using my Beaba BabyCook to make a naturally sweet apple sauce with a little vanilla bean paste. So now, I can meet two needs – apple sauce for this beautiful cake and feeding my 10 month old some apple sauce with lovely flavors. Thank you for sharing!

    Comment by Su — On April, 12th, 2009 at 12:43 pm

  58. [...] Chocolate Cake with Character (La Tartine Gourmande) [...]

    Pingback by Gluten Free Cake Round-Up | Strawberries are Gluten Free — On May, 13th, 2009 at 4:25 pm

  59. Just tasted it. With one word: HEAVEN!…It’s absolutely amazing, I have tried so many of your recipes and they never e v e r fail! In fact they are always a wonderful surprise for everyone. Thank very much!

    Comment by Dimitra — On August, 16th, 2009 at 6:20 am

  60. [...] used buckwheat flour (because it’s one of my new favorite flours to bake with) and quinoa flour, roasted ground walnuts, stewed plums, a couple of my favorite eggs and a few [...]

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  61. [...] so this is how on Saturday of last week, with the car loaded with luggage, a loaf of chocolate cake , fresh produce and groceries, we hopped on the ferry that took us to the [...]

    Pingback by Weekend getaway to Martha’s Vineyard — Weekend à Martha’s Vineyard | La Tartine Gourmande — On October, 26th, 2009 at 10:33 am

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