Gluten-Free Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache Cake

       Ready for a delicious, indulgent treat? Of course you are and do I have the dessert for you! We all love the combo of chocolate and hazelnut, right...I mean if we didn’t then Nutella wouldn’t be a WORLDWIDE phenomenon. So today I bring you a combination of those two flavors, rolled into one scrumptious cake.

 You'll need:

1 cup Kerrygold salted butter, softened

2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

2 tsp hazelnut extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 tsp butter flavor

4 eggs

2  cups Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all purpose flour

1/2  cup Bob's Red Mill almond flour

1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill hazelnut flour

2 tsp Bob's Red Mill xanthan gum

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup hazelnuts, chopped

1/2 cup chocolate chips

       Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease two 9" round cake pans and place a piece of round parchment paper on the bottom of each.

       In a medium bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy.  Add in the sugars and extracts, then continue whipping until fully creamed.
 

       Gradually add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.

       

      In a separate bowl, combine the flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Then stir the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Finally.

     fold in the hazelnuts and chocolate chips.

       Scoop the batter into prepared pans, then place in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the center and the tops are a light golden brown.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.
 

Hazelnut Butter Cream

1 1/2 cups salted Kerrygold Butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp hazelnut extract

       In a medium bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer.  Whip in two cups of powdered sugar and extracts. Then whip in the final cup of powdered sugar, and continue blending until smooth and creamy.

Hazelnut Ganache

1 cup dark chocolate chips

2 tsp hazelnut extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips until fully smooth. Allow them to cool before combining with the whipped cream.

       Using an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream on high until stiff peaks form, then whip in the extract.

       With a spatula, gently fold the whip cream by small portions into the melted chocolate.

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       Now it’s time to frost the cake! First, spread an even layer of frosting across the bottom layer. Next, spread a generous layer of ganache on top of the bottom layer cake. Then, place the second layer on top and frost the rest of the cake with the butter cream.  Finish by spreading the remaining ganache on top.  Serve and enjoy!