I invented this some years ago. This is a lovely tea cake, combining plain chocolate with roasted hazelnuts. It isn't too sweet, it's just right! You can toast whole hazelnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat, then process till fine in a food processor.
I was very pleased with the flavor and texture of this teacake; the amount of chocolate seemed just right for a quickbread (not too heavy as in a browny). The taste of the hazelnuts really comes through. Perfect for a ladies lunch or nice brunch. To make it more convenient by using my mixer, I beat the eggs, vanilla & sour cream in my mixer's work bowl, tossed the flour, baking soda & powder on a sheet of wax paper and added to eggs in mixer, mixed briefly, then added melted chocolate mixture, mixed briefly, last folded in hazelnuts by hand - turned out great. Made three mini-loaf pans (2"x5"x2.5"), baked for 30-35 minutes. A keeper! - 19 Jun 2001 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
Great recipe. It's moist, flavorful, and rises nicely in the pan to about twice the size the batter was. I made a (small) bundt cake as a birthday cake for my daughter. I coated the outside with dark chocolate to keep it from drying out too quickly. Although i usually bake with a hand mixer, i only used a wooden spoon to make the dough ... and it came out perfectly without much work. - 30 Nov 2006 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
Really did not like this. Brought it over to a family dinner and nobody liked it. I can't exactly put my finger on what it was. Maybe it was the fact that it was a cross between a brownie and a cake. If it was one or the other it would've been better. - 06 May 2012 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)