 by Sarah Coates of The Sugar Hit 
The cakes themselves are a slightly lighter version of a chocolate mud cake; still dark and strong, but not quite as dense as is traditional. On top of the cakes goes a gooey dollop of chocolate hazelnut frosting – and you know when anyone says chocolate hazelnut, they mean Nutella. To add some beautiful bling to these babes, a simple shard of hazelnut-studded toffee gets pronged into each, and just like that, they are ready to go. Does that sound sarcastic? I didn’t mean it to – trust me when I say that each element of these cakes couldn’t be easier to put together.
The cake mix is a melt-and-mix, one-bowl affair. The frosting is as simple as some light stirring and the toffee shard is really incredibly easy for the payoff you get at the end. I know some people are scared of caramel, but the only secret is to leave the pan completely alone so that the sugar can melt and caramelize. It’s nerve-wracking only if you poke and prod at it – just stay calm, let it do its thing, and before you know it you will have a tray of the most delicious, dark, chocolatey, and beautiful cakes you could dream of, studded with golden caramel shards. Happy chocolate season!
Chocolate Hazelnut Mud Cakes
For the cakes:
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
- 4oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp instant coffee (optional)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
For the frosting:
- ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter, soft
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 4 oz milk chocolate (30% cocoa solids), melted
- 2 tbsp Nutella
- Pinch of salt
- For the toffee shards:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup chopped hazelnuts (feel free to leave these out, the toffee still looks great)
