CHOCOLATE & HAZELNUT TORTE

 

Cake

100g (⅔ cup) whole, blanched hazelnuts

250g (8½ oz) dark/bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

100g (7 Tbsp) salted butter

6 eggs, separated

½ tsp cream of tartar

120g (⅔ cup) caster/granulated sugar

Topping

200g (6½ oz) dark/bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1 stick salted butter

4 Tbsp whole, blanched hazelnuts

A 23cm/9” round, springform pan, greased and lined with parchment paper

Preheat oven to 170°C (325°F).

Toast all the hazelnuts. Do not burn. Allow to cool, then set aside the 4 Tbsp for the topping and grind remaining nuts to a fine powder in a food processor.

Melt chocolate & butter in heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water.

In a bowl, beat egg yolks together with a whisk for 2 minutes, or until pale in colour. In a separate large bowl, with a clean whisk, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks are formed.

Add beaten egg yolks to melted butter/chocolate and whisk lightly. Add half the egg whites to this mixture and gently fold together with a spatula. Transfer this mixture to the bowl with the remaining egg whites, add the ground hazelnuts and gently fold everything together.

Spoon mixture into prepared cake pan and bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes or until skewer inserted into the middle of the torte comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before removing from pan.

For the topping, melt chocolate and butter together as described above. Add 2 Tbsp warm water and stir until smooth. Remove bowl from pan and allow to cool. Spread over the top of the torte using a palette knife. Roughly chop reserved hazelnuts and sprinkle them over the middle of the torte, to decorate.