Chocolate Applesauce Bundt Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Cake
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cups applesauce
1/2 cup buttermilk
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Glaze (Optional)
3/4 cup whipping cream
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
18 hazelnuts, toasted and peeled

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Grease and sugar a 10-cup Bundt pan.
Beat the butter, oil and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Beat in the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Whisk the buttermilk and applesauce together.
Add the flour to the butter mixture, alternating with the applesauce mixture, mixing well after each addition.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the glaze, heat the cream to just below a simmer and pour over the chopped chocolate.
Let sit for one minute then stir to smooth out.
Stir in the butter to melt in and thicken the glaze.
Pour over the top of the cake and let drip down the sides.
Garnish with the hazelnuts.