Hazelnut chocolate torte

Hazelnut is my favourite nut in desserts. I love the sweet and nutty taste of it and the crunch it lends to biscuits and cakes.

Last summer, ahead of a couple of friends visiting me to see my new-ish home, I made this hazelnut chocolate torte to go with teas.

Hazelnut chocolate torte

Ingredients for the torte

185g hazelnuts
185g  butter, preferably unsalted
185g chocolate, 70% - 85% cocoa solids
6 large free-range eggs, separated
185g xylitol

Ingredients for the icing

175g butter, preferably unsalted
175g chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
2 tbsp espresso or 1 tbsp coffee extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 190℃ / 375℉ / Gas 5.
2. Grease a 10" silicon cake pan or line a 10" spring form tin with a disc of parchment paper and brush the sides with a light but thorough coating of melted butter.
3. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and put in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until the nuts are roasted to a golden colour and the skins start to lift. 
   
4. Remove the nuts from the oven and allow to cool.
5. When the nuts are cooled, wrap them in a clean tea towel and rub the bottom of the towel around on the palm of your hand. The skins will start to lift off the nuts.
6. Remove as much of the skins as you can. Then grind the peeled hazelnuts to a coarse powder in a food processor.
   
7. Place the butter and chocolate in a heavy Pyrex bowl and put over a saucepan of cold water on a very low heat. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Allow to melt gently.
   
8. While the chocolate is melting, put the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl and beat with an electric beater to a light and pale consistency.
   
9. When the chocolate and butter have melted, remove the bowl from the saucepan and stir with a rubber spatula to achieve a smooth and silky consistency. Allow to cool for 3 minutes and then mix gently but thoroughly into the egg yolk and sugar mixture. Then mix in the hazelnuts.
   
10. Place the egg whites in a clean bowl and beat to a stiff peak. 
    
11. Stir a fifth of the egg whites into the chocolate to lighten it slightly before gently folding in the rest with a rubber spatula. Make sure all of the egg white is properly folded into the chocolate mixture.
    
12. Pour the mixture in to the pan/tin and gently smooth the top of the mixture. Do not bang tin.
    
13. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 170℃ / 325℉ / Gas 3 and bake for a further 30 minutes.
14. Do not be alarmed if there is a crack in the top of the cake as this will seal up as the cake cools.
    
15. Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack. Place a slightly damp cloth over the top of the pan and allow to cool completely. The cake will collapse slightly indicating a soft and luscious texture.
    
16. While the cake is cooling, make the icing.
17. Place the chocolate and coffee in a Pyrex bowl and melt as before, starting it off over a saucepan of cold water. Remove from the heat when nearly melted, stir with a rubber spatula and allow to cool for 8 minutes. 
18. Whisk in the diced butter, 3 or 4 pieces at a time. Do not add the next lot of butter until the previous addition has been completely incorporated. Gradually the icing should start to thicken slightly. The finished consistency should be spreadable like soft but not melted butter. (If the icing becomes runny, it means you have added the butter too quickly. If this happens, place the runny icing in the fridge to chill. Stir it regularly and gradually it will thicken to a spreadable consistency.)
    
19. Remove the cake from the pan. 
    
20. Spread on the glossy icing over the top of the cake with a palate knife.
    
21. The cake is now ready to be served or kept in the coolest part of the kitchen for a few days. If it is high summer, and you can't find a cool spot in the kitchen, you will have to chill it, but let it return to room temperature before serving.
22. Serve the cake in small slices with softly whipped cream or crème fraiche.
    

The tort was wonderfully rich and smooth. The only slight issue is that the torte has a tendency to dry out, particularly in the fridge. I suspect a ratio of hazelnuts and chocolate needs to be adjusted. Fun experiment for next time!