Chocolate Hazelnut Torte

This is sorta one of those cakes that you can just throw together with a few ingredients but just making sure that the ones you use are good quality. The chocolate needs to be delicious as it will carry this cake and you need a strong kick so either Lindt, Green and Black or Valrhona are tasty high street ones. Lastly, this is quick to make but you must be very light of hand when folding to keep as much air in it for baking. This is definitely a great dinner party dessert with a good dollop of whipped coconut cream and its gluten-free!

Serves 12

Ingredients:

100g blanched hazelnuts, blended into a fine flour consistency

200g milk chocolate, broken into pieces (Belgium is nice)

120g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

6 medium eggs, separated

80g unrefined caster sugar

125g unsalted butter

pinch of sea salt

1 tbsp Amaretto / Grand Marnier

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp instant coffee

How to Make Your Chocolate Torte

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and line a 24inch cake tin with baking paper.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from the heat when totally melted together. In a mixer or handheld whisk whip up the egg whites until light and fluffy and then slowly spoon in the sugar until all is incorporated. It will look a little like a meringue consistency.

Now quickly mix in the egg yolks to melted chocolate followed by the instant coffee, vanilla extract, liquor, pinch of salt and hazelnut flour/ground hazelnuts. Use a spatula to gently fold in 1/3 of the whipped whites into the chocolate mix and then continue adding a third at a time until it is mostly mixed in. You have to be quite delicate here and then carefully pour the batter into the prepared cake tin.

Place into the oven for about 20 minutes or until a top has formed and a skewer inserted should come out quite gooey. Leave on a wire rack to cool completely and once cooled remove from the tin, dust with cocoa powder, serve with whipped coconut cream or crème Fraiche. This will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days.