For many, many years, I was a food blog junkie. I spent countless hours reading the blogs of several foodies, and anxiously awaiting their next post. Many of the bloggers I followed have since become famous, writing successful cookbooks. For years I dreamed of having a blog of my own, but as with all things, I hesitated because I didn’t know where to begin. I finally researched it enough to find that the first thing I had to do was pick a name and buy a website.  The entire process was so foreign to me, and I’m grateful that my niece and nephew were able to walk me through the setup process.

First, there was this thing called WordPress that I had to learn to use. My niece Simone, learned how to use it and taught me. She had the patience of a saint, I have to say. Her brother Evan would come by often to help me learn too. Teaching an old dog like me took a lot of patience, and thankfully Simone and Evan had a lot of it. I love them for that.

Since I started writing this blog, I have embarked on a new and wonderful food journey. At first, I used all my own recipes, but as they ran out I had to learn to make new recipes. My repertoire has increased enormously. This is one reason my family loves to come on Thanksgiving: they get to try all the new ones before they end up on the blog.

This is one that will definitely be on the menu this year. It is just that damn good. Alison Romans’ cookbook, “Nothing Fancy,” has so many good recipes in it. This one was no exception. This is a nice and chocolatey cake, so if you are a chocolate lover, you are going to eat this one up fast. The Nutella combines nicely with the chocolate, and the almond flour gives it a whole other depth of flavor. The topping is so delicious and marries well with the cake, so don’t be freaked out by the sour cream. It is not too sweet, and it is so creamy, adding even more flavorful goodness to this luxurious treat. This is a “must try.” And by the way is it also gluten-free, so even more people can enjoy it!

This recipe is courtesy of Alison Roman, and will serve 8 to 10 people who will certainly want to come back for seconds!

Ingredients for Crispy Chocolate Cake with Hazelnut & Sour Cream:

For the cake:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more for the pan
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, at least 67% cacao, finely chopped
1/2 cup Nutella, hazelnut spread, almond butter, or tahini (see Note)
6 large eggs
1/2 cup hazelnut or almond flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the topping/accompaniment:

1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 pinch kosher salt
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup Nutella
Brandied, maraschino, or Luxardo cherries (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch spring form pan with softened butter or nonstick cooking spray. (You can use any 9-inch cake pan, but line it with parchment paper with some overhang so you can easily remove the finished cake.)

Sprinkle the inside with sugar and rotate the pan to coat the bottom and sides evenly; tap out excess.

Make the cake:

Combine the chocolate, Nutella, and butter in a large heatproof bowl.

Set the bowl over a small pot of simmering water and heat, stirring often, until the chocolate and butter have melted and you can stir everything together to a smooth, creamy mixture.

Remove from the heat and set aside. (Alternatively, microwave in 30-second increments until evenly melted.)

Separate 4 of the eggs, placing the whites in a large mixing bowl (either a bowl fitted for a stand mixer or a bowl large enough to handle a hand mixer).

Place the yolks in another large bowl and add the hazelnut flour, cocoa powder, salt, and the remaining 2 whole eggs and whisk to blend well.

Using a spatula, gently and gradually mix the egg yolk mixture into the melted chocolate mixture (don’t use a whisk here; the batter is quite thick and will get stuck in the wires).

With the mixer on high, beat the egg whites.

When they start to get light and foamy, gradually add ¾ cup sugar, a tablespoon or two at a time, and continue to beat until egg whites have tripled in volume and are light, fluffy, opaque, and hold stiff peaks.

They should look like a very good meringue that you could frost a cake with (that’s not what you’ll be doing, but just saying).

Using a spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until just combined and no obvious white streaks remain (this will look cool—maybe take a picture!); avoid overmixing (that would deflate all that air you worked so hard to build into those egg whites).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

Bake until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the top looks puffed and lightly cracked, like a soufflé (it should still have a little jiggle), 35 to 40 minutes.

Let cool completely (if you have a wire rack, use it). During this time, something seemingly tragic will happen—the center of the cake will collapse, causing further cracking around the edges. This is the intended effect, so don’t worry—it’s where those crispy edges come from, the reason we are all here.

Prepare the topping/accompaniment:

Using an electric mixer (or a good old-fashioned whisk and elbow grease), whip the cream, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until you’ve got medium-stiff peaks, then whisk in the sour cream.

For a streaky effect, fold in the Nutella using a spatula or if, you know, who cares, just whisk it in.

Use this mixture to top the cake, but I prefer to eat it on the side (so as to not ruin the cake’s crispy texture) with some delicious cherries for snacking on in between bites.

 Do Ahead: You can bake this cake up to 2 days ahead, wrap it tightly, and store at room temperature.

Author’s Note: Using an unsweetened spread like almond butter or tahini will give you a slightly less sweet version of this cake, which for my taste, is still perfectly sweet enough.

It’s that simple! And delicious!