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Hazelnut Chocolate Cake Recipe From Piedmont, Italy (Torta di Nocciole)

This Italian hazelnut chocolate cake is made with only four ingredients, is naturally gluten free and dairy free, but tastes sublime! It’s a perfect Valentine’s Day cake, too.

chocolate sauce poured over a slice of cake with whipped cream.

The simplicity of this ancient Italian recipe (my version of it) is only part of the attraction of this cake. Its soft, delicious texture enhances the flavor of the hazelnuts and cocoa.

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I recently returned from Italy with bags of Italian IGP Piedmont hazelnuts in tow, and wanted to do them justice in a proper Italian recipe.

IGP hazelnuts.

I had been working on my Bicerin post, and saw a cake on the Il Bicerin site which caught my eye: torta di nocciole con cioccolata calda e panna (hazelnut cake with hot chocolate sauce and cream)!

bite of cake on fork.

Oh goodness, it looked insanely good, so I started searching for Italian recipes for “torta di nocciole”. Oh, and by the way, have you been watching Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy series? He’s off to Turin on this next episode and visits Al Bicerin!

Bicerin coffee and cocoa beverage in Turin
Bicerin from Al Bicerin in Turin. Get the recipe below.

It’s amazing how much you can learn in a short time when surfing the worldwide web. I learned that this cake is one of the most well-loved cakes of the Piedmont region, including Turin, and for good reason: this is where the best hazelnuts in the world are grown and harvested. I know, because I’ve actually gone truffle-hunting in a hazelnut grove in Piedmont!

truffle hunting Cadia

My research uncovered a basic recipe shared over many sites for torta di nocciole, all of which included hazelnuts, flour, sugar, whole eggs, yeast, and butter, but no cocoa.

plain hazelnut chocolate cake.
It may look boring, but I assure you, there’s nothing boring about this cake.

However, there was one site (and cake) that really caught my eye on the TASTËLANGHE website. There was no recipe, just the photo of a hazelnut cake, the description, ingredients, options to purchase the cake (from Italy) and loads of amazing reviews. That was the cake I wanted! It also looked most like the cake on the Al Bicerin site where I’d originally seen the hazelnut cake! One phone call to my Torinesa (from Turin) friend Lucia, from Turin Epicurian Capital, who confirmed the cake’s famous history and appeal, and I was set.

chocolate sauce poured over a slice of cake

Based on the ingredient list, I calculated a recipe, and gave it a try.

Tru this delicious gluten free tiramisù recipe next!

gluten free tiramisu social

Goodness, this cake was absolutely divine! (As I stated earlier, this is a wonderful cake to make for Valentine’s Day.)

Hazelnut cake for Valentine's day with love hearts and a yellow rose.

If you love nuts, this coffee and walnut cake is for you!

serving coffee and walnut cake

Of course, using Piedmont hazelnuts is going to make the cake taste and smell incredibly good. However, in the name of good recipe writing, I made another with hazelnuts which I purchased on Amazon (from Turkey) and it was still a showstopper.

Hazelnut cake for Valentine's day with love hearts and a yellow rose.
Add some love hearts for a Valentine’s day cake for your sweetheart.

A neighbor swooned over the cake, and everyone who tried it was a huge fan.

flourless chocolate torte

It rather reminded me of the reactions to this decadent flourless chocolate torte, when I first made it!

chocolate sauce poured over a slice of cake with whipped cream.

Want to gild the lily? Serve it with warm chocolate sauce and freshly whipped (unsweetened) cream as they do in Turin at Al Bicerin! Want to make it absolutely perfect? Serve it with a Bicerin!

Al Bicerin coffee caffe torino turin famous shop Italy
Al Bicerin in Turin.

Trust me, it’s worth the calories! Now, I just need to take a trip to Turin to see how my recipe stacks up against the original, but even if it doesn’t, I won’t be disappoined. (I do not have the original recipe, and do not claim to know what it is.) You can find the link to the website below and order the cake straight from the source if you live within their shipping constraints.

cut cake with tulips.

I highly recommend using a scale for this recipe in order for the cake to turn out properly.

Hazelnut Chocolate Cake Recipe from Piedmont
(Torta di Nocciole)

based on a cake that is sold from TASTËLANGHE       adapted by Christina Conte     serves 12

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Oven temperature: 350ºF (175ºC)

Prepare the dry Ingredients

Add the hazelnuts into a food processor.

hazelnuts in food processor

Add the sugar, and process until a fine grind is obtained. Don’t overdo it or you’ll end up with hazelnut butter.

ground hazelnuts and sugar.

In a medium-sized bowl, stir the hazelnut and sugar mixture with the cocoa until uniform in color.

mixture of hazelnuts, sugar and egg whites

Prepare the Egg Whites

stiffly beaten egg whites.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Combine the Ingredients

mixing egg whites and nut mixture

Gently fold the nut mixture into the beaten egg whites until thoroughly combined. DO NOT OVERMIX. Carefully pour into a greased, floured and lined (with parchment paper on the bottom only) 8″ springform pan.

Bake the Hazelnut Chocolate Cake

mixture in pan

Place in middle of preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for about 15 minutes, then run a thin bladed knife around the edge of the pan and remove from the tin. Remove the parchment paper and place on cooling rack to cool completely

Serve Hazelnut Chocolate Cake One of Two Ways

Hazelnut cake for Valentine's day with love hearts and a yellow rose.

1. Plain (great with a Bicerin) and a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

hazelnut chocolate cake on a plate

2. With this easy 2 ingredient, 3 minute chocolate sauce and unsweetened, whipped cream (too rich served this way to enjoy with a Bicerin, plain coffee or tea would be better).

bite of hazelnut chocolate cake on fork.

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hazelnut chocolate cake with chocolate sauce

Hazelnut Chocolate Cake Recipe From Piedmont (Italian Torta di Nocciole)

Yield: 12
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

A unique hazelnut and chocolate cake from Italy that is naturally gluten free and dairy free.

Ingredients

  • 300 g (about 3 cups) toasted, peeled hazelnuts (preferably IGP from Piedmont, but any good quality hazelnuts will do)
  • 150 g (1 1/4 c) sugar
  • 2 Tbsp (14 g) dark, unsweetened cocoa
  • 4 egg whites

Instructions

  1. Butter and flour an 8" springform pan (with parchment paper lining the bottom.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 F (176 C)
  3. Grind hazelnuts with sugar until fine. Place in bowl.
  4. Add cocoa to the ground hazelnuts and sugar.
  5. Beat egg whites until they come to stiff peaks.
  6. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the beaten egg whites. Be careful not to over mix, but make sure they are thoroughly combined.
  7. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
  8. Allow to cool in pan for about 15 minutes, then run a thin bladed knife around the edge of the pan and remove from the tin. Remove the parchment paper and place on cooling rack to cool completely.
  9. Serve when cold, plain, with a Bicerin. Otherwise, serve with a warm chocolate sauce and freshly whipped, unsweetened cream.

Notes

PLEASE USE A SCALE FOR BEST RESULTS. Weighing the ingredients is important.

TIP: Using IGP hazelnuts from Piedmont, Italy, will yield the best results/flavor, however they are quite expensive and hard to find in the US. Try to use the tastiest hazelnuts you can find, and the cake is still truly delicious.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 219Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 18mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 3gSugar: 14gProtein: 5g

Nutrition information is only estimated.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review by clicking on the 5 stars above, in the purple header (a form will appear) or tag me on Instagram! 😍

chocolate sauce in a pan.

Easy Chocolate Sauce - Only 2 Ingredients and 3 Minutes!

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 1 minute
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes

A simple chocolate sauce that can be used in many ways!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (237 ml) heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup (237 g) good quality chocolate, chopped, or chips, callets, etc.

Instructions

    1. Put the cream into a small pot over medium low heat.
    2. Add the chocolate pieces, callets, chips or whatever you’re using (just don’t add huge chunks or it won’t melt quickly enough). 
    3. Stir quickly touching the bottom of the pan to ensure the chocolate doesn’t stick.
    4. Within a minute or two, you’ll start to get a smooth, thick consistency forming. Turn off the heat at this point and continue stirring until completely smooth and glossy. 
    5. You can add more hot cream if you want a less thick sauce, but I prefer it with the original 1:1 ratio. See how rich, thick and glossy it is? Perfection!
    6. Use as desired. Keep leftover sauce refrigerated for up to one week.

Notes

  • Use on ice cream, desserts, cheesecake, banana splits.
  • Dip fruit, marshmallow, cookies or cake into it like fondue.
  • Roll into balls when cool to make truffles.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 48Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 27mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information is only estimated.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a review by clicking on the 5 stars above, in the purple header (a form will appear) or tag me on Instagram! 😍

Christina’s Cucina is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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26 Comments

  1. Such a gorgeous cake! I love anything with nuts. And hazelnuts are one of my faves. And this recipe isn’t just with hazelnuts, it basically is hazelnuts in cake form! So it’s right up my proverbial alley. Definitely going to give this one a try.

  2. I ate this kind of torta at Le Langhe in Milano back in the 80s. It was one of our favorites. Hopefully my noccioli haven’t gone rancid and I can make this now. Thanks. BTW I think your site is pretty great. Probably because you like what I like.

  3. Where is the chocolate sauce recipe? Also, I usually have difficulty printing your recipes. Why? I like your site but it is a pain to use sometimes because of these little glitches. Thank you.

    1. The link to the chocolate sauce recipe is in the post, but maybe it’s hard to see. Let me go see what I can do, David. In the meantime here is the chocolate sauce recipe. Regarding the printing, what do you mean? Please give me more details as I have to be able to tell the company what issues you’re having so they can troubleshoot. Are you clicking the PRINT button and nothing is happening? Is it only on my site? Thanks.

      1. Thank you! I am looking forward to making this my Valentine! I have made a lot of your recipes. I am GF and most of your recipes translate right over!

  4. I feel like Lorenza De Medici might have a recipe for this in one of her cookbooks, but I can’t be sure until I check. Whatever the case, this looks absolutely amazing (hazelnut and chocolate is one of my favorite combinations) and I can’t wait to try your version. I love the chocolate sauce over top, too!

    1. Hi Marcia, I haven’t tried it, and I’m sure it will work, but the texture will be more fine (you can see the texture in the photos). I will have to try this myself, but let me know what you think if you do it before me! :)