Dark Chocolate, Prune and Hazelnut Torte

It’s hard not to love a decadent, moist chocolate cake. This recipe is not overly sweet, and has a soft, sensuous texture from the prunes. Serve with cream or vanilla ice cream, in appropriately small slices.

Dark Chocolate, Prune and Hazelnut Torte. Photo: Supplied

Ingredients

• 300g good-quality dark chocolate, melted
• 1 cup unsalted butter or coconut oil
• ¾ cup coconut, rapadura or muscovado sugar
• ½ cup hazelnut meal (or any type of ground nuts)
• 1 cup prunes
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 6 free-range eggs
• pinch of sea salt

To serve

• icing sugar
• fresh fruit

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease a 23cm cake tin with butter or coconut oil.

Put all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth.

Tip the mixture into the prepared cake tin and use a spatula to smooth out evenly.

Bake for 20–25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. It can burn easily, so be sure to keep an eye on it.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.

Once cooled, carefully remove from the tin. If serving immediately, dust with icing sugar and garnish with fresh fruit of your choice.

Will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Recipes extracted from The Art of Simple by Eleanor Ozich, published by Penguin NZ, Hardback, RRP: $40.00.