Okay, I am not going to lie, this recipe for Chocolate, hazelnut and cardamom torte has quite a few steps. All of the steps are easy, so don’t be deterred. The results are absolutely fabulous. The final product is light as a feather, perfectly indulgent and fit for any chocoholic. The recipe uses ground hazelnuts instead of flour thus, these perfect heavenly tortes are gluten free!
The recipe can be baked as individual servings, like pictured here or as one whole torte. The cardamom pairs nicely with the chocolate and hazelnuts, but if it’s not for you, leave it out.
Chocolate, Hazelnut and Cardamom Torte
100g whole blanched hazelnuts (without skins)
250g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
100g salted butter
6 eggs, separated
8 cardamom pods,
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
120g caster sugar
Topping:
150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
75g salted butter
4 tbsp whole, blanched hazelnuts (without skins)
12 hole muffin tin, lined with tall muffin cases
Preheat oven to 170C/ 325F/ Gas mark 3.
Toast all the hazelnuts in the oven for 10 minutes. Make sure they do not burn. Allow to cool, set aside 4 tbsp for the topping and grind the remaining nuts to a fine powder using a food processor.
Remove the seeds from each cardamom pod by crushing the pod and splitting it. Discard pods and grind seeds using a pestle and mortar or spice grinder.
Melt the chocolate and butter for the cake in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Let cool.
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks for about 2 minutes, or until they go pale in colour.
In a separate, large bowl, with a clean whisk or beaters, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together until soft peaks are formed. Add sugar in stages, beating continually, until stiff peaks are formed.
Add the beaten yolks to the melted butter and chocolate mixture and whisk lightly. Add half the whites and gently fold together with a spatula. Transfer this to the bowl with the remaining whites, add the ground nuts and ground cardamom and gently fold everything together.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin, dividing the mixture evenly, and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the top of the torte feels dry and is starting to crack, and a skewer inserted into the middle of the torte comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.
For the topping, melt the chocolate and butter together as described above. Remove the bowl from the pan and allow to cool. Spread over the top of the mini tortes using a palette knife. Roughly chop the reserved hazelnuts and sprinkle over the each torte to decorate.
This recipe can also be baked in a 23cm spring form cake tin that has been lined with parchment paper. Bake for 50-55 minutes.