Torta Caprese - Chocolate and Nut Cake

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 10

Ingredients

85g 70% dark chocolate

85g 70% smooth dark chocolate

85g hazelnuts, ground

85g almond meal

170g sugar

14g cocoa powder

25g potato starch

4g baking powder

170g butter, unsalted at room temperature

5 eggs separated

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Pinch salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Finely grate the chocolate.

For a rich flavour, roast the hazelnut and almond meal until lightly golden. Set aside to cool.

Combine all the grated chocolate, nuts, cocoa, starch and baking powder. Mix together.

Cream the butter and half the sugar and vanilla until light and pale. Add one egg yolk at a time and mix well in between additions.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with the salt and rain in the other half of the sugar to create a meringue. Whisk to soft peaks. (not too firm)

Add one-third of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture and fold in. Fold in one-third of the meringue.

Continue this a couple of times with the dry ingredients and last gently fold in the final meringue. Place cake batter into a lined and greased springform and bake for 40-45 minutes at 170°C.

Allow the cake to sit and cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Flip it onto a serving platter and generously top with icing sugar before serving.