Flourless Chocolate and Toasted Hazelnut Cake - Gluten Free

A flourless chocolate cake to knock the socks of any flourless chocolate cake. And that's pretty much down to the toasted hazelnuts. Don't be tempted to buy hazelnut meal or process untoasted nuts. You'll miss out on all the deep nuttiness and toasty goodness. Trust me, I've done enough taste-testing of chocolate cake to know these things.




Flourless Chocolate and Toasted Hazelnut Cake - Gluten Free
slightly adapted from here

For the Cake:
240g whole hazelnuts
120g unsalted butter, chopped
180 dark chocolate, chopped
220g caster sugar
5 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the Ganache:
125g dark chocolate chopped
60g unsalted butter, chopped
25ml water

Make the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 180C.  Butter a 24 cm round cake pan. Line the base with baking paper and butter the baking paper. Set aside.

Spread the hazelnuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven until you start to smell and they start to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Remove them from the ovem, tip them into a clean tea towel and wrap them up. Rub the nut vigorous with the towel. The skins should slip off. Discard the skins and place the nuts into a food processor.

Place the butter, chocolate and sugar into a large heat-proof bowl and suspend it over a pan of simmering water. Don't let the bowl touch the water. Stir until melted, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

Put the egg yolks into a small bowl and break them up with a fork, beating lightly.

Add the egg yolks and hazelnuts to the chocolate mixture and stir with a spatula combine. Set aside,

Put the egg white in the bowl of an electric mix fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the salt and whisk until soft peak form. Fold the fluffy egg whites to the chocolate mixture a third at a time, fold to incorporate each batch before add the next third, but do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35 minute, or until the centre of the cake springs cake when lightly pressed. Leave to cool completely in the pan.

Make the Ganache:
Put the chocolate, butter and water into a heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted, smooth and glossy. Remove from the heat and leave to cool and thicken a little. Pour it over the top of the cooled cake and spread to the edges to completely over the top of the cake.