This is hands down one of the BEST cakes you will ever eat for four main reasons: firstly, it tastes incredible! Second, it has LESS sugar than most cakes out there because it has zero-calorie monk fruit sweetener instead of white sugar in the base. Third, it is GLUTEN-free! It has no white flour (pretty crazy right?! I know!) Finally, it is aesthetically pleasing and it looks like it came out of a fancy bakery.

What’s Healthy About This Recipe

This recipe uses healthy ingredient alternatives that have a number of health benefits:

Unlike white flour, hazelnut flour is gluten free. It is rich in antioxidants and is chock full of vitamins and minerals such as folate, manganese, omega 3 fatty acids.

Cocoa powder: is rich in antioxidants and has the ability to reduce inflammation. There is a good amount of cocoa powder in this recipe.

Although this recipe contains refined sugar from the Ferrero Rocher chocolates, it uses zero-calorie monk fruit sweetener for the base (where it would traditionally call for refined sugar) which minimizes the overall amount of sugar that is in the cake.

To put this into perspective, this recipe calls for 1 and a half cups of monk fruit sweetener (white and golden). 1 and a half cups of white sugar contains about 1,155 calories, whereas monk fruit contains zero. Unlike white sugar, monk fruit also has no impact blood sugar.

This recipe also uses almond flour which is a great keto, low carb alternative to white flour.

NOTE: I am not a doctor and I am not offering diet or health advice. This section of my blog is for information purposes only and explains how I substitute ingredients and/or methods to make my recipes healthier than other recipes or restaurant-offerings out there. If you’re looking for medical/dietary advice, please speak to a doctor or dietitian.

The Best Ferrero Rocher Cake (no white flour)

Ingredients

Hazelnut flour: if you’re roasting hazelnuts with skin, make sure you roast them long enough so the skin comes off for at least 90% of them (but not long enough to burn them!). You can also use pre-packaged hazelnut flour but make sure that it is fresh. Stale and rancid hazelnut flour can ruin the flavour of the cake.

Almond flour: you can use almond meal or almond flour for this recipe. The difference between the two is that almond meal is ground almond with the peel whereas almond flour is without the peel (they are blanched).

Cocoa powder: I recommend using a high-performing Dutch cocoa powder such as Cacao Barry Callebaut’s Extra Brute for a rich, strong chocolate flavour.

Baking powder: helps the cake rise and is essential for baking this cake.

Ferrero Rocher chocolates: for this recipe we need two types of Ferrero Rocher chocolates: the dark chocolate bars for the cake batter and ganache, and the Ferrero Rocher chocolate balls to decorate the cake. You can use either the dark or milk chocolate balls for decor.

Granulated monk fruit sweetener: is used in the batter of the cake to reduce the amount of sugar that goes into the cake. I usually use monk fruit with erythritol extract. If you use a different blend (e.g.; monk fruit with allulose) you may need to adjust the sweetener amount in the overall recipe. Taste as you go is a good method of ensuring the sweetness is to your liking. With this cake, I recommend starting with the exact measurement of monk fruit indicated in the recipe.

Golden/brown monk fruit sweetener: is a zero calorie substitute for brown sugar and is supposed to impart a maple-like flavour to this cake. The difference between the classic white monk fruit and the brown is that the white is extracted from the pulp of the monk fruit whereas the brown is extracted from the peel and seeds. In my experience the taste difference is very subtle. In this recipe, you can substitute the golden monk fruit for white.

Oil: is required to make the cake base very tender. I have made this cake with canola oil and avocado oil which are both quite neutral tasting. I recommend avocado oil for this recipe because it’s the healthier option.

Eggs: brown or white eggs can be used for this recipe. Ensure they are at room temperature before using.

Heavy cream: is also called whipping cream in some countries and contains at least 30% fat content. This is essential for whipping up a creamy, dreamy ganache.

Water: the water has to be really HOT (boiling) and it is essential to add this to the batter because it helps the cake become extra moist.

Dark chocolate: use at least 70% dark chocolate for this recipe. You can also substitute for milk chocolate instead however, if doing so, you will have to adjust the sweetness by reducing the amount of sweetener in the batter. Reduce by half and then adjust according to taste. I personally have not tried using milk chocolate so I cannot attest to the taste.

Loacker wafers: are used in the middle layers of the cake to add a nice crunchy element. Don’t skip this because it enhances the taste and texture of the cake.

Check Out the Recipe Video Here.

Step by Step Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325degrees F. Combine hazelnut flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, Dutch processed cocoa and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

In a large bowl, add both monk fruit sweeteners and oil and beat until combined. Add eggs and vanilla extract and melted dark chocolate and beat again just until combined.

Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients gradually and mix by hand using a silicone or rubber spatula. Gradually mix in heavy cream. Then add boiling HOT water and mix all ingredients until well combined.

Transfer the cake batter in to two 9-inch parchment-lined baking pans or two spring pans and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool completely on a cooling rack.

Combine the Ferrero Rocher and dark chocolate in a double boiler or a temperature-controlled chocolate fondue pot on low heat. Once melted, add the heavy cream.

Once the cakes have cooled, spread 1/4 of the ganache on one cake evenly and transfer the cake to the fridge for at least 10 minutes, or until ganache has set or hardened. THIS IS IMPORTANT to ensure the Loacker wafers (added in the next step) are not soggy.

Remove cake from fridge and crush Loacker wafers into small pieces by hand and spread them on the ganache layer evenly. Gently place the other cake onto the cake with crushed wafers and gently press down. Make sure the second cake layer is placed directly on to the first layer so that it forms a perfect round cake.

Spread the remaining ganache on the top and around the cake. Use a bench scraper to evenly spread the ganache.

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