Chocolate-nut Loaf

I keep hearing how fantastic this chocolate-nut loaf is by Pierre Hermé so I thought it was about time I tried it. I have his book Desserts in which I used his lemon cream recipe for my lemon tarts. It was spectacular; by far the best lemon cream I've had. I'm eager to learn more from this great chef.

This loaf is full of surprises; it goes against every expectation of of an everyday chocolate loaf. It bursts with flavor from the toasted nuts to the dense moist decadence of the chocolate cake, emphasized by rich chocolate chunks. I really love the sharp green color of the pistachios against the dark chocolate cake.

I have to admit, I didn’t stick to the recipe entirely. I did not add any hazelnuts; instead I opted for extra pistachios and almonds. In a way, I’m pleased with this change. The loaf was a lot nuttier in flavor than I expected and I think the strong flavor that hazelnuts give would have been too much. Of course, I’m sure others would beg to differ, so I have written the original recipe below but also mentioned where I have made changes.

Chocolate-nut Loaf:
(Adapted from Pierre Hermé's Desserts)

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 7 tablespoons very good cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 cup sugar (I added 2 extra tablespoons)
• 5 ounces almond paste
• 4 large eggs (at room temperature)
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts (I substituted these for more pistachios and almonds)
• 1/3 cup blanched chopped and toasted almonds
• 1/3 cup chopped pistachios
• 3 ounces good bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chunks (I used Valrhona Manjari)
• 3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon butter (melted and cooled)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Prepare an insulating layer for the cake by stacking two baking sheets, one on top of the other.

Butter a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder in a bowl and set aside.

Add the sugar and almond paste to a mixer and beat on a medium speed until they are well blended. (or use a large bowl and a hand held electric whisk)

Add the eggs one at a time beating for two minuted each time. Then turn the mixer on full speed and whisk for 8-10 minutes until the liquid has formed an emulsion that looks like mayonnaise.

Reduce the mixer to a low speed, add the milk and combine.

Sift in the flour ingredients and mix until homogeneous.

Fold in the nuts, chocolate chunks and melted butter.

Pour the cake batter into the loaf pan and bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes.

Allow to cool on a rack.
You can serve the cake at this point, although it's best to wrap in a double thickness of plastic wrap or foil and allow it to "ripen" for a day before cutting it into slices and serving.