Hazelnut Torte
David V. R. Bowles cuts the hazelnut torte celebrating my birthday.
Here’s a delicious recipe for a hazelnut torte with chocolate chestnut ganache. The recipe is from my husband David V. R. Bowles.
For the torte:
6 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon of orange zest
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup of granulated sugar, divided
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 cups finely ground hazelnuts*
¼ cup oat flour
For the chocolate buttercream:**
½ cup vegan butter, softened
½ cup cocoa
1½ cups powdered sugar
1 cup chestnuts, chopped
1 tablespoon dark rum
2 teaspoons vanilla
~3 tablespoons water
For decorating the cake:
Additional ground nuts or chopped nuts to decorate sides of cake
Instructions
For the torte:
Heat oven to 325 degrees
Grease bottom only of springform pan, 9 x 3 inches
Line bottom of pan with baking parchment and grease generously
In standing mixer on high speed, beat egg yolks, 1 tablespoon orange zest, and cinnamon until very thick and light coloured (about 6 minutes)
Gradually beat in ½ cup of the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Set aside and wash beaters
In a clean bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until soft peaks form
Gradually beat in ½ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time
Continue beating until stiff peaks form
Fold egg yolk mixture into egg white mixture
Mix 3 cups ground hazelnuts with ½ cup flour
Fold nut-flour mixture into the batter a little at a time (in three parts)
Spread into pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until cake tester comes out clean
Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes
Loosen cake from pan and remove
Invert cake onto wire rack and cool cake completely
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to make slicing easier
Chocolate buttercream frosting:
Beat all ingredients together until chestnuts are incorporated smoothly, and the mixture reaches spreading consistency.
To assemble:
Slice cake into 2 layers
Spread buttercream onto first layer, and top with second layer
Spread buttercream on top and sides of cake
Use extra chopped nuts or ground nuts to decorate sides
Decorate top with extra nuts if desired
Notes
* I used one pound of whole hazelnuts; after grinding, it yielded about 3.5 to 4 cups
** If you like a lot of frosting, consider doubling the amount of frosting as this amount will provide a very thin coating