Indulge in the perfect harmony of rich chocolate and nutty hazelnuts with juicy, tender pears. This Chocolate Hazelnut Cake is a showstopper that’s deceptively simple to make, yet irresistible with every bite. Get ready to delight your taste buds and impress anyone you serve it to!

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Ingredient notes

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Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

A moist chocolate hazelnut cake topped with juicy pears and crunchy hazelnuts, dusted with cocoa powder for a perfect finish.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 8 slices
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A slice of chocolate hazelnut cake topped with chopped nuts and pears on a gray plate, with a fork placed beside it.

Ingredients 

  • 6 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate (70%), chopped (we like Ghirardelli or Guittard)
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, cubed
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 5 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 scant cup finely ground hazelnuts (or hazelnut flour, see notes)
  • 2-3 firm but ripe pears, halved and cored
  • ¼ cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped, for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, for dusting
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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350oF. Grease and line the base of a 9-inch springform pan.
  • Slice each pear half finely, crosswise, keeping the slices together in the shape of the pear. Set aside.
    Three green figs are placed on a small wooden cutting board, set on a dark wooden surface next to a light gray cloth.
  • Put the chopped chocolate and cubed butter into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water (Bain Marie). Stir until melted and glossy. Set aside to cool slightly.
    A white mixing bowl filled with chocolate cake batter sits on a dark wooden surface next to a gray cloth.
  • In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt for 5–7 minutes, until pale, thick and airy.
    A white mixing bowl containing four cracked eggs and a small amount of liquid on a wooden surface with a gray cloth nearby.
  • Stir the ground hazelnuts into the chocolate mixture. Then gently fold the chocolate into the egg mixture in large looping movements so that the mixture stays light and airy.
    A glass bowl containing a mixture of ground nuts and chocolate batter sits on a dark wooden surface next to a gray cloth.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the fanned pear halves gently on top. Don’t worry about perfection, they’ll shift and settle as they bake.
    A round black dish filled with chocolate batter topped with thinly sliced green apples, placed on a dark wooden surface next to a beige cloth.
  • Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centre has a soft wobble. A toothpick inserted should have a few moist crumbs.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. The cake should look slightly puffed, but it will settle into a dense, fudgy finish as it cools. When you’re ready to release the cake run a knife around the edge of the cake and unclip the pan.
    A round chocolate cake topped with sliced pears in a black baking pan on a wooden surface, with a beige cloth nearby.
  • For the best results, refrigerate the cake for 1–2 hours before slicing. Dust with cocoa powder and scatter over chopped hazelnuts just before serving. Enjoy!
    A round cake topped with sliced pears, oats, and hazelnuts sits on a dark tray, surrounded by fresh pears and a gray cloth.

Notes

  • This deeply fudgy chocolate cake is enriched with finely ground hazelnuts and topped with delicate fanned pear halves that bake beautifully into the surface. It’s soft and fudgy and tastes delicious. The kind of cake that looks elegant enough for a dinner party, but is easy enough to make on a quiet afternoon.
  • We tested this recipe multiple times to get the texture just right—fudgy, not cakey; sweet, but not too sweet. If you love flourless chocolate tortes, you’ll adore this variation. The pears add such a beautiful decoration and soften into the batter during baking. Finished with a dusting of cocoa and a scattering of chopped hazelnuts for crunch, it’s perfection!
  • We used blanched hazelnuts and pulsed them in a food processor until finely ground. Stop before it turns into a paste. You can also use store-bought hazelnut flour or hazelnut meal if available.
  • We used pears from our garden as they are abundant at this time of year! When choosing pears, use firm but ripe varieties such as Bosc, Anjou, or Conference. They hold their shape during baking and slice beautifully. You can peel them, but we didn’t, the skin softens and adds a nice color contrast.
  • To prevent browning if slicing pears ahead of time, squeeze over a little lemon juice.
  • Don’t worry too much about perfectly arranging the pears on top of the cake batter as they will sink slightly during baking.
  • Don’t over bake this cake. On our first test we baked for 35 minutes and the cake was too dry. 30 minutes gave us the ideal texture. Start checking at 25 minutes, look for set edges and a slightly jiggly centre. The cake firms as it cools, and becomes beautifully fudgy once chilled.
  • Serve cold or just-room-temperature with a dollop of crème fraîche, whipped cream, or mascarpone. A drizzle of dark chocolate ganache or a scoop of vanilla ice cream also pairs beautifully.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice, Calories: 438kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 169mg, Sodium: 83mg, Potassium: 194mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 717IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 43mg, Iron: 2mg
Course: Cakes, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 438
Keyword: Chocolate Hazelnut Cake
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About the author

Hi, I’m Lucy! I’m a home cook, writer, food and wine fanatic, and recipe developer. I’ve created and tested hundreds of recipes so that I can bring you the best tried and true favorites.

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