No-Bake Hazelnut Chocolate Fridge Cake
A decadent chocolate fridge cake made from a medley of biscuits, hazelnuts, Nutella and a whole lot of chocolate. Bonus: No oven required.
Do not underestimate the quality of recipes found in children’s cookbooks- they are after all, the easiest, most delicious treats bound to please individuals belonging to a range of age groups. I say this because I still often find myself flipping through DK’s The Children’s Step-by-step Cookbook by Angela Wilkes. The pages are yellowing and a multitude of colorful stains blur some of the letters.
I’ve probably tried every single recipe provided in the book over the years- from the apple pie and custard that I remember making in the 3rd grade for some of my teachers, to the miniature pizzas to the sandwich fillings and everything in between. This fridge cake recipe was actually adapted from Wilkes’ book.
I’d have to say that my recipe for a hazelnut chocolate fridge cake deviates quite a bit from Wilkes recipe, for not much remains from the original list of ingredients- out with the unnecessary dried fruit (I am no fan of glace cherries – but I did like the idea of a cake made mostly of biscuits and chocolate), in with the hazelnuts, the Nutella and the silky smooth glaze poured atop.
While I did choose to add hazelnuts, you could easily substitute peanut butter and peanuts, almonds or a combination of nuts. I prefer to toast the nuts as I like the sweeter, nuttier and slightly more refined flavor that toasting lends.
For a completely no-bake recipe, you can skip the toasting part or buy nuts that have already been toasted. In addition, you could choose to totally omit the Nutella. While I went with a hazelnut-chocolate combo, this dessert is really flexible in that you could do pretty much any combination- chocolate orange, mocha, white chocolate and Oreos– the sky is your limit. Or should I say the fridge.
Let’s tackle this no-bake hazelnut chocolate fridge cake recipe!
No-Bake Hazelnut Chocolate Fridge Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups 200 g digestive biscuits or any plain cookie, crumbled
- 4 oz 100 g hazelnuts, chopped (I like to toast them but toasting is optional)
- ½ cup 115 g butter
- 4 oz 115 g chocolate (a combination of milk and dark works best)
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 4 tbsp Chocolate hazelnut spread such as Nutella, optional
- For the chocolate hazelnut ganache:
- ½ cup 125 mL heavy cream (can be ¼ cup for a thicker glaze)
- 4 oz 115 g chocolate (combo of milk and dark), chopped
- 4 tbsp chocolate hazelnut spread, optional
For the topping:
- Digestive biscuits/plain cookies, crushed
- Chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
- In a bowl, roughly crush the digestive biscuits and mix with the chopped hazelnuts. Toasting the nuts is optional, but if you would like to do so, place on a greased baking tray for 10-15 minutes in a 350 F (180 C) oven. Then rub the hazelnuts with a paper towel to remove the skins.
- In a separate bowl, combine the butter, chocolate, heavy cream and Nutella. Microwave, stirring every 30 seconds for 2-3 minutes or melt over a double boiler until smooth.
- Pour the chocolate mixture over the cookie/hazelnut mixture and stir gently to combine. Firmly press the cookie mixture into a 8 inch (20 cm) cake tin lined with foil and greased with butter.
- Chill for 1-2 hours or until firm.
- For the glaze, place the chocolate and chocolate hazelnut spread in a bowl.
- Bring the heavy cream to a boil in the microwave/in a saucepan and pour the spread and chocolate.
- Let the mixture sit for 30 seconds then stir till smooth.
- Remove the cake from the cake pan and peel off the foil.
- You can wait till the glaze hardens in order to spread it atop like a frosting, or you can pour it over the cake so that it forms a glossy outer coating.
- Sprinkle the cake with toasted, chopped hazelnuts to garnish.
Notes
Looking for more nutty recipes?
