Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with Prune Purée and Hazelnuts

Name: Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with Prune Purée and Hazelnuts
Yield: serves 8 to 10
Ingredients: 1 cup pitted prunes, soaked in 1 cup water overnight; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 6 ounces semisweet chocolate; 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, peeled, and pulsed in a food processor until coarsely ground; 5 eggs, separated; 1 cup maple sugar (see page 69); 1/4 teaspoon salt

December 14, 2011

After my company catered a party spotlighting foods from the state of Oregon, we were left with several pounds of fresh hazelnuts from the Willamette Valley, the capital of U.S. hazelnut production. We added the nuts to a flourless chocolate cake, and the result was this dark, rich confection with fruity undertones. Maple sugar, which is simply dehydrated maple syrup, is sold at most health food stores, but you may substitute any dry sugar. Serve this cake with vanilla-spiked whipped cream.

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