Gluten free Chocolate and Hazelnut Torte. (Dairy free options)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F, butter and line three 6″ round cake pans or two 7″ pans with parchment paper.
2. For the torte, melt the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (double boiling method). Also make sure that the water doesn’t touch your bowl which has the chocolate. Remove the bowl from the heat and mix in the salt, sugar, vanilla extract and toasted ground hazelnuts with a spatula. After the mixture is cool to touch or just slightly warm, add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing after each addition, until you have a thick batter. DO NOT add the eggs before the mixture cools down. IT’S NOT A GOOD SIGHT.
3. Add the egg whites in a clean bowl (make sure there’s no moisture or grease in the bowl and your whisking attachments) and using a hand held mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form (you can also use a standing mixer if you have one or maybe do it by hand if you’re adventurous :P). Add the egg whites to the chocolate batter, a third at a time and fold through very gently until just combined.
4. Pour the yummy chocolate batter into the prepared cake pans and place them in the oven to bake for about 30 minutes until it is firm but with a slight wobble. Every oven is different so kindly keep a close eye on it after 25 minutes of baking. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to sit on a wire rack to cool. After 25-30 minutes you can remove them from the pans and let them cool completely.

FOR THE FROSTING:

1. Make sure your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature. Add them into a bowl and using a hand held mixer blend those two until creamy and almost fluffy.
2. Gradually add in the sifted icing sugar, little by little as you whip the frosting.
3. Finish with a dash of Vanilla and the salted caramel.
4. Refrigerate till needed.

NOTE:

• You can use a 9″ pan to bake a single cake too. The baking time will change according to the size of your pan, hence adjust the timings accordingly.
• You can also use regular butter if you’re not dairy free.
• for roasting the hazelnuts: Spread them out on a flat baking sheet and toast them at 175°C for about 10 minutes, you’ll know when they’re done when they’re slightly golden brown and they’ll smell amazing. Let them cool before you grind them.
• If you’re not fond of Caramel, you can avoid it in the frosting (Why would you?)

The cake should last for a good two days if refrigerated, but mine didn’t even last an hour as it just vanished. Trust me.. It was that good. Also, check out my Instagram to stay updated on all the yummy recipes I’m working on and lemme know on my social media or here if you’d like a recipe for my Salted Caramel Sauce.

Love,

Bakesalotlady <3