Rye Lovers Cake

I have always been wanting to create a cake (bread) with 100% Rye. All the Rye cakes that I have come across have too little rye in the recipe and mostly around 10-50%. So I took the plunge and created my own, just the way I like. I know chocolate cakes are great with rye, so I went along the same line. Chocolate also works well with hazelnut, I thought... So this tea cake was born.

Tea cakes are my jam! May be it's because, I'm an avid fan of tea (and coffee too). More than the actual beverage, I think I love the idea and the feeling of relaxation around tea time! This cake is ideal with a strong cup of coffee or tea. Because it is not too sweet, I would totally serve this with ice cream as a dessert too.

Alternatives

You can substitute some ingredients, but always keep in mind that every change is going to affect the flavor profile.

Molasses - can be replaced with maple syrup, honey (mild)

Yogurt - can be replaced with low fat yogurt, sour cream, buffalo curd

Hazelnuts - can be replaced with Walnuts (or you can bake without nuts in the batter)

Chocolate spread - instead of a chocolate, you can cover the cake with chocolate ganache, simple icing (icing sugar, water and vanilla or chocolate)

making of this cake is pretty simple and similar to most pond cakes. I will mentions the most important steps with pictures.

Butter and flour a 10 cup Bundt tin

Swift together rye, all purpose flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa together and set aside

Lightly toast and roughly chop 1 cup of hazelnuts (or walnuts)

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add molasses and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl frequently.

Add one egg at a time and mix on medium until cleared, making sure to scrape the bowl frequently

Add flour and yogurt alternating each other and mix on low speed. Scrape the bowl frequently. Once all the flour is in, fold through the chopped nuts

Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan (or any other pan)

Make sure batter is evenly spread. - Tap the pan several times, to get rid of any air and to make sure all groves are filled with batter

Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 50 minutes or until done.A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean when it is done. Check the cake at 45 minutes mark as each oven is different.Once the cake is done, remove from the oven and let it cool for 10-15 minutes.

As the cake cools, it will pull back from the walls. Place a wire rack on top and tip the pan over. The cake should easily drop.

Let the cake cool. Prepare the chocolate in the mean time

Add the oil onto the chocolate and microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in-between. When you get a silky pouring consistency, leave it to cool slightly.When it is thicker it will stick better to the cake.Have some extra toasted hazelnuts to sprinkle on top

Once the cake is cool enough, pour the chocolate to cover the entire cake. Use the drippings and pour again until all areas are covered. Use a spatula or a spoon to help spread the chocolate. Let the chocolate settle, and sprinkle the chopped hazelnuts.Leave until the chocolate set and serve.