Dessert Recipes - Chocolate Hazelnut Torte Recipe

Ingredients

For the cake

• Oil, for greasing

• 40 g/1/3 cup corn flour (cornstarch)

• 150 g/5 oz/1 1/4 cups plain (all-purpose) flour

• 10 egg whites

• 1.5 ml/1/4 tsp cream of tartar

• 275 g/10 oz/1 1/4 cups caster (superfine) sugar

• 10 ml/2 tsp vanilla essence (extract)

For the filling and topping

• 450 ml/2 cups double (heavy) cream

• 175 g/6 oz chocolate hazelnut (filbert) spread

• 150 ml/2/3 cup plain yoghurt

• 30 ml/2 tbsp ground hazelnuts

• A small block of plain (semi-sweet) chocolate

• 8 toasted hazelnuts

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Method:

1. To make the cake, grease and flour a 23 cm/9 in ring tin (pan). Sift together the corn flour and flour. Whisk the egg whites until stiff with the cream of tartar.

2. Whisk in half the sugar and the vanilla essence. Whisk again until stiff. Add the remaining sugar and whisk again until stiff and glossy.

3. Gently fold in the flour mixture with a metal spoon. Turn into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.

4. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for about 35 minutes until risen, golden and the cake springs back when lightly pressed.

5. Allow to cool slightly, then turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

6. To make the filling and topping, whip the cream until peaking. Spoon half into a separate bowl and fold the chocolate spread into the other.

7. Gently whisk the yoghurt into the remaining cream with the ground hazelnuts. Cut the cold cake into three equal layers.

8. Place the base layer on a serving plate and spread half the chocolate filling over. Repeat the layers, finishing with the top layer of cake. Spread the cream and yoghurt mixture all over the cake.

9. Scrape a potato peeler along the chocolate block to form chocolate curls and use to decorate the cake with the toasted hazelnuts. chill for at least 1 hour before serving.