I mean, come onnnn. Chocolate, hazelnut, honey, praline, ganache AND it’s clean?! That’s right, it’s refined sugar free, processed crap free, dairy free and gluten free. It is made lovingly with wholesome ingredients and none of the bad stuff. This beauty of a torte is just one of many clean eating desserts in the new Clean Cakes recipe book by Henrietta Inman. I’m super excited because I get to share the recipe for this chocolate slice of Heaven with you all, plus I have a copy of the book to give away! Keep reading to find out how to enter.
Henrietta is a skilled pastry chef and owner of Henrietta Inman Pâtissière and Hen’s Clean Cakes. Her new book, Clean Cakes is full of mouth-watering clean eating desserts such as showstopper cakes, energy-boosting muffins, wholesome loaves, raw desserts, tarts and pies. Clean Cakes is an ideal book for those of us wanting to satisfy our pesky sweet tooth without piling on the pounds, or those of us wanting to eliminate gluten, dairy or refined sugar from our diet.
I’m honestly so impressed with the desserts in this book as is my boyfriend, Michael. He has told me he is willing to try any dessert that I make from this book and that he is expecting to do so on a weekly basis. Men! Although I can’t really argue when I want to try all of the recipes myself. Starting with this clean eating Chocolate torte for Valentine’s Day, of course.
Clean Eating Chocolate Hazelnut Torte
A chocolate’s delight! Instead of using shop-bought praline or chocolate and hazelnut spread, both packed with refined sugar, I made my own praline paste using nut butters and natural sweeteners. It adds a really pure nutty flavour and texture to this rich and decadent cake without making it sickly sweet.
Praline Paste
- 1/3 cup hazelnut butter
- 1/3 cup almond butter
- 1 tbsp raw honey
- 2 tbsp Palmyra nectar powder
- 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
Chocolate and hazelnut torte
- 1 1/8 cup hazelnuts (preferably activated dried)
- 100 g dark chocolate 85% cocoa solids
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/3 cup praline paste (see above)
- 3 eggs (separated)
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup Palmyra nectar powder
Honey praline ganache
- 90 g dark chocolate 85% cocoa solids
- 120 g the rest of the praline paste
- 100 ml hazelnut milk
- scant 2 tbsp raw honey
- Preheat the oven to 170 C / 325 F / Gas Mark 3. Grease and line the bottom of a 23cm (9 inch) springform cake tin with coconut oil.
- To make the homemade praline paste, mix everything together well and set aside.
- To make the torte, line a baking tray and toast the hazelnuts for about 7 minutes. Set aside 60g of the hazelnuts for the topping. Remove the skins from the remaining hazelnuts and blitz in a food processor until as fine as possible.
- Slowly melt the chocolate over a bain-marie then add the coconut oil. When everything has melted, remove from the heat and add the measured praline paste. Stir to combine. Add the ground nuts, egg yolks, half the salt and the vanilla extract to the chocolate mix.
- Whip the egg whites with the remaining salt until fully whipped and firm, add the Palmyra nectar powder and whip a little more to combine. You should have soft, caramel-coloured peaks. Very gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mix, about a third at a time. Mix until just combined and do no overmix – it should look like a light chocolate mouse.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 10 minutes, rotate and bake for another 5 minutes. A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean, the top should be light but firm to touch, and you should hear air bubbles popping when you touch it. Leave to cool in the tin then demould.
- To make the ganache, melt the chocolate over a bain-marie. Take off the heat and stir in the praline paste. In a small saucepan, warm the hazelnut milk with the honey. When it is warm and the honey has dissolved, gradually pour it over the chocolate, stirring continuously until a thick and glossy emulsion forms. Cover the surface with baking parchment and leave in a cool place for about 1 hour until the cake has completely cooled and the ganache has thickened. Stir the ganache lightly and spread it over the cooled cake using a palette knife (frosting spatula). For a firmer set ganache, just leave it for a little longer. Chop the remaining hazelnuts in half, scatter them over the ganache and serve.
- This torte is lovely with whipped vanilla coconut cream and keeps for up to five days in the fridge. It freezes well too, with the ganache on top!
If you’d like to get your hands on a free copy of Henrietta’s Clean Cakes recipe book then simply comment on this post saying why you’d like the book. It can be as simple or as detailed as you like. You have until midnight (GMT) on Tuesday 9th February to enter, then I shall pick a winner at random from the comments. The giveaway is open to residents of the UK and Ireland only. Good luck!
For more recipes from Henrietta Inman, go to her website Hen’s clean cakes or have a look at her Instagram.
Let me know if you make this recipe and send me pictures if you do. Good luck if you choose to enter the giveaway to win a copy of the book, I can’t wait to read your comments!
My copy of Clean Cakes was gifted to me for review purposes. My reviews are always honest, that is my promise to you. The image of the chocolate and hazelnut torte is from the Clean Cakes recipe book, the recipe and wording of the recipe is Henrietta Inman’s.
to help me improve my cake skills
Wow that looks incredible! I’d love to win the Clean Cakes recipe book as since losing 5.5 stone through calorie counting I am now starting to look at adapting to clean eating also. Fab giveaway!
I would like to win this book as I need to cut down on refined sugar in my diet while still enjoying my food and this sounds perfect.
Your cake looks delicious! I would love to win the Clean Cakes recipe book as cake is my guilty pleasure and if I can find recipes for cake that’s a bit kinder to my waistline I’d love to try them xx
This looks like my ideal cake, I really need to try making it! I would love to win the book as I have a sweet tooth but try to make clean, healthy desserts so would love some more recipes! :-)
I’d love to win because two of the four of us are glutenfree and milkfree and I’m always looking for new recipes to expand the range of what I cook – especially for cakes/puddings.
Hazel Rea – @beachrambler
This looks lovely and when i get my kitchen back from the builders i will give it ago.
Wow, this cake looks and sounds incredible! I’ve never heard of Henrietta’s Clean Cakes book before and I’m really not sure why because it is right up my street. I love nothing more than trying to make those usually unhealthy, sugar filled and highly processed treats into healthy and delicious clean ones instead! I love how you can eat healthy and still enjoy things like cake, chocolate and sweet treats, and this book sounds like the perfect guide to helping people achieve that! Ps. Your cake looks so good I might have to bake it this weekend!! :)
Nicole xx
http://www.gingerkitchen.co.uk
I want to eat healthier but I do love a slice of cake. This book would inspire me to eat healthier but not be able to give up cake.
We’re having a charity cake sale at work soon & this would inspire me to make something amazing!
Trying to cut back on sugar (and chocolate) need guidance this book looks perfect and the cake divine
We would love to be able to have tasty food without the masses of sugar!
Omg that looks delicious!
Lauren
livinginaboxx | bloglovin
LOVE TO WIN THIS BOOK TO GET ME MAKING NICE CAKES
Love this love love love im going to buy if i dont win eather way ill get it!
I want to eat healthier and try to lose weight but not at the expense of cutting out all cake. The chocolate and hazelnut cake looks delicious.
That cake looks delicious – I’ve always loved *ANYTHING* with nuts of any type. Would love to win this.
Your cake looks yummy! both my wife and I are trying to eat healthier and I’ve just found out that I’m wheat intolerant! Finding healthy wheat free recipes can be demanding but my wonderful wife trys!
Would love to try the healthier eating but can’t resist cake this book would be fantastic
I would love to learn how to make some of these cakes as they look delicious
Oh my word, these cakes look yum! I’m trying to get the whole family to eat a little better, no mean feat since we have such sweet tooths…hopefully this book will help ;-) x
I want to get back into baking but I’m also trying to eat better and these recipes sound amazing!
I really enjoyed reading your post and that cake looks absolutely lovely, I would like to win a copy of this book to try and encourage my family to eat better, with cakes like these I am sure they would!
This recipe looks so delicious and the instructions are so clear and straightforward. I’d love this book
Because I’m trying to eat better but have a massive sweet tooth
I would love to win this book so that I can make refined sugar free cake for my diabetic husband! Thanks for the chance!
I’d love to win because I’m trying to eat a lot better but sugary tasting foods are my weakness!!
Im very interested in eating clean and getting sugar out of my life. I try low carb eating, but i do struggle to keep the hidden sugars out
Would love to win this book, thanks for the chance. It’s perfect for those trying to loose weight but can’t give up sweet things. The cake sounds absolutely delicious and doesn’t look like a “healthier” option either. :) My Dad is also diabetic and he always feels like he’s missing out when we have a “naughty treat”.
Like most people I have such a sweet tooth but this wouldn’t be just for me, I love cooking healthier sweet versions and sharing them among my friends and family :D
I would love to win this book as this year I am trying to eat healthier without depriving myself. I believe that the ingredients you put into your body (and not just the total calories) are very important. It’s taken me a loooong time to realise this; I spent most of my 20s living on diet coke, prepackaged ‘diet’ meals and feeling miserable. Now I am 34 I want to take my health more seriously.
Author
Janine you are my winner! Congratulations!! Please email me at gymbagsandgladrags@gmail.com so that I can get your details xx
P.S. I love your message and totally agree, what you eat is just important (if not more) than how much you eat!
Author
Hi Janine, I’m really sorry but I have to forfeit your win to somebody else as I have not heard from you. I’m sorry.
I would like the book as I have a massive sweet tooth that I just can’t combat but a waistline that is desperate for me to do so! I would like to be able to change my sweet tooth cravings for a healthier sweet alternative!
I’ve started eating all natural foods this year and not had any chocolate but I am starting to crave it. It would be helpful to learn how to bake naturally without piling on the calories.
I would absolutely love this book! I have started this year on a complete healthy eating programme and fitness regime. This fabulous book would certainly help me stick to my resolutions whilst still indulging in my sweet tooth!
I have such a sweet tooth – I’d love this x
I would love to be able to satisfy my cravings for cake, chocolate and other desserts by using recipes that do not include any processed or refined food products
I enjoy cooking and my other half does the baking so where she requests food dishes, I requests cakes. I like to add to both our collections and try new recipes, so I want to win. :)
Oh wow, that cake looks amazing! I have completely changed my diet and I am so aware of sugar now, I’ve dramatically cut down my consumption and to be able to expand my knowledge as to a whole new range of sweet treats whilst still being able to stay away from refined sugars (and dairy, which doesn’t seem to agree with me!) would be fantastic! I am so into clean eating these days
One of the hardest things with committing to clean eating is the cravings for sweet treats. Cutting out refined sugars and yet still being able to indulge sounds like a win win situation. I would love this book.
Author
The competition is now closed – thank you for all your entries!
This looks delicious! Definitely will be trying this! Thanks for sharing!