Hazelnut chocolate torte (GF)

This is simply divine! This recipe of hazelnut chocolate GF torte is from Nadine Ingram, the owner of the Flour and Stone bakery in Woolloomooloo.  As the title suggests it is gluten free .  The cake is quite filling and will feed a little crowd!  This recipe has been published before, but if you like it, there is a book coming at the end of 2018 I was told by Nadine herself.

It is important that you use good quality chocolate. See the tips given all along the recipe, they will help a lot.

For 10-12 people.  You will need a 22 cm diameter round cake tin (springform for easy removal if available to you).

Ingredients:

For the torte:

• 250 g of good quality dark chocolate minimum 60% cocoa solid (if in Australia, the only choice is the Nestle 70% Plaistowe from supermarkets)
• 200 g of full hazelnuts
• 50 g of hazelnut meal (you can use almond meal as a substitute, I use hazelnut meal in my cake)
• 225 unsalted butter, soft
• 200 g of caster sugar
• 6 eggs (referring here to eggs of 60-70 g size each)

For the chocolate ganache and topping:

• 150 g of good quality dark chocolate minimum 60% cocoa solid, roughly chopped
• 150 mL of pure cream (or sour cream)
• 60 g toasted hazelnut, skins removed (use the same method than described below to obtain those)

Tip: if using couverture chocolate for the ganache, only use a 55% cocoa content, there is high risk of seizure with a 70% couverture chocolate.  NB: chocolate like Nestle Plaistowe are compound chocolates and will not size. 

Method:

For the cake

1. To roast the hazelnuts, place them in a tin and in the oven at 160°C for 20 minutes. THen place in a clean tea towel and rub until all skins have fallen off. Set aside.
2. Line a 22 cm tin base and sides with baking paper.
3. Using a food processor, place the chocolate in the food processor and process until as fine as possible. You should get little pieces of about 3-5 mm.
4. Do the same with the roasted hazelnuts (only those for the cake).
5. Combine the chopped chocolate and hazelnuts with the hazelnut meal.
6. Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2/3 of the sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes.  Continue to beat and add the egg yolks one at the time.
7. Now add the hazelnut-chocolate mix on low speed and mix for a minute to combine. Transfer the mix in a large bowl.Tip: Use an oversized bowl, it will make mixing the egg whites much easier here.
8. Beat the egg whites to snow (either clean AND dry very well your previous food bowl or use another one). Only beat until soft ribbon form, then add still beating the rest of the sugar. The meringue should be thick and glossy, however not than thick that is becomes solid, it should still be fluid. You should be able to fold it around with a spatula.
9. Using a large spatula, fold the meringue through the hazelnut starting with 1/4 of the quantity first, then adding the rest in 2 or 3 parts.  Each time, don’t overdo it.  This is important or the batter may separate (the hazelnuts are quite oily). It is fine if there are some white meringue streaks as they will be mixed up with the next insertion. The last time needs to be fully mixed.Tip: the first part of the meringue you insert will be more “mixed” than “folded” through as the mix is quite dense to start with.  Use the width of the large bowl to spread the meringue over the mix before folding the mix on itself.
10. Pour the batter in the prepared tin.  Tap the tin a couple of time on the kitchen bench to remove any potential air bubbles.  Bake for one hour or until the centre of the cake is stable when pressed with your fingertip (i.e. no longer wobbly).
11. Remove from the oven, allow to cool down in the tin.  When ready to dress, unmold gently and place directly on the serving dish (top up).

For the ganache

1. Prepare the ganache by cutting the ganache chocolate in small pieces. Place in a larger bowl.    Bring the cream to a boil. As soon as it is boiling, pour over the chocolate and cover (with a plate for example). Allow to melt on its own for a few minutes and stir to homogeneise.
2. The ganache should be thick paste-like consistency.  Using a small spatula, spread roughly over the cake and put the remaining roasted full hazelnuts on top.

Do not place this cake in the fridge (except if it is really hot and the ganache is melting, generally cakes become hard and much less tasty when put in the fridge). This cake keeps well for a couple of days.