Moist, dense and hazelnutty with just a hint of orange, this recipe for a gluten-free chocolate hazelnut torte is sure to impress. It's made with ground hazelnuts, buckwheat flour and lots of chocolate with some orange liqueur thrown in for good measure. Glaze it if you wish, but in true Italian style, it's quite delectable unadorned.
200gdark chocolate(I used 100g of 85% dark Fairtrade chocolate plus 100g of 52% dark Fairtrade hazelnut chocolate)
125gunsalted butterdiced
90ghazelnuts
4medium eggs
125ggolden caster sugar(I used Fairtrade)
30gsoft brown sugar
60gbuckwheat flour
¼tspgluten-free baking powder
4tbsporange liqueur(I used my own homemade version)
1pinchsea salt(I used Himalayan pink rock salt)
cocoa powderfor dusting (I used Fairtrade)
Instructions
Melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of hot, but not boiling, water.
200 g dark chocolate
Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir until smooth.
125 g unsalted butter
Grind the hazelnuts in a coffee grinder, food processor or blender.
90 g hazelnuts
Separate the eggs and into two bowls.
4 medium eggs
Add the sugars to the egg yolks and beat with electric beaters until pale and doubled in volume.
125 g golden caster sugar, 30 g soft brown sugar
Pour in the chocolate mixture and stir until just incorporated.
Sieve in the flour and baking powder, then fold into the egg mixture along with the ground hazelnuts.
60 g buckwheat flour, ¼ tsp gluten-free baking powder
Stir in the orange liqueur as lightly as possible.
4 tbsp orange liqueur
Whisk the eggs whites with a pinch of rock salt until stiff, then fold into the chocolate mixture, a third at a time.
1 pinch sea salt
Spoon into a 23cm (9") round silicone mould and bake in a preheated oven at 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4) for about 30 minutes. The top should be firm to the touch and an inserted toothpick should come out with only a few moist crumbs attached. But it's important not to over bake this cake or it will become dry and less flavoursome.
Allow to cool for ten minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Transfer to a plate, then dust with cocoa powder.
cocoa powder
Leave as is, or decorate as I did with icing sugar sifted over cappuccino stencils.
Notes
Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.