Chocolate Hazelnut Mini Cakes (easy, 45 minutes)

I first shared this recipe years ago and had no idea it would become one of the most-read on my blog Blaž Kuha. No fancy SEO, no perfectly named images—just a simple, rich chocolate-hazelnut combo people kept coming back to.

So I remade it from scratch: new step-by-step photos, tidier instructions, the same cozy taste. Some recipes are classics for a reason.

Ingredients

• 6 eggs

• 7 Tbsp ground hazelnuts

• 250 g butter

• 20 Tbsp sugar (about 250 g)

• 1 sachet vanilla sugar (8 g)

• 250 g dark baking chocolate

• 5 Tbsp flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• butter for greasing the tin, breadcrumbs for dusting

💡Tip: For a deeper nutty note, add a handful of lightly toasted, roughly chopped hazelnuts to the batter.

Step 1: Melt the chocolate

Break the chocolate into pieces and melt it gently over a bain-marie (double boiler). Stir until smooth and glossy.

Step 2: Add butter and sugar

To the melted chocolate, add half of the sugar, the vanilla sugar, and the butter. Beat with an electric mixer (or whisk) until the mixture is smooth and shiny.

Step 3: Whip the eggs with the sugar

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the remaining sugar for 7–8 minutes, until very pale, airy, and thick.

💡Tip: Room-temperature eggs whip faster and hold more air.

Step 4: Fold in hazelnuts, flour, and eggs

Mix half of the whipped eggs into the chocolate mixture. Add the ground hazelnuts, flour, and baking powder and beat to combine. Add the remaining whipped eggs and gently fold with a whisk so the batter stays light.

💡Tip: Adding the eggs in two additions helps keep the batter airy. You can also fold in a few toasted, chopped hazelnuts here for extra texture.

Step 5: Fill the tin and bake

Grease a muffin tin with butter and dust lightly with breadcrumbs. Spoon two tablespoons of batter into each cavity.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C / 356 °F for about 25 minutes.

💡Tip: For even portions, use a piping bag or an ice-cream scoop.

Step 6: Cool and decorate

Leave the mini cakes to cool in the tin. Once cool, dust with powdered sugar and/or decorate with whipped cream.
For a richer treat, split the cakes, spread with cream, add a few sour cherries, and close again.

Serving idea: Try a quick filling of mascarpone mixed with sweetened condensed milk, then top with fresh raspberries. A small mint leaf on top is the perfect finish.