This post is for Shauna! I learned this recipe last Fall when I went to a French Mint cooking demonstration with my dad. This is when the above photo was taken. When Chef Castro made the torte, he used roughly chopped toasted hazelnuts. He also used real vanilla beans for the whipped cream. I made the torte myself a few weeks ago for my friend’s birthday. I used ground almonds and vanilla extract - it was just as tasty, so you could go either way.

My dear friend can’t have wheat gluten, so this was the perfect cake to make for her :)

This recipe will make two 8” tortes.

Torte

• 50g dark chocolate
• 250g sugar
• 125g roasted hazelnuts (chopped) or use ground almond!
• 170g butter (cut in small pieces)
• 370ml whipping cream
• 7 eggs
• 150ml coffee

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Grease and dust with cocoa 2 spring-form pans
3. Melt chocolate over a double boiler
4. combine the cream and butter in a saucepan; bring the mixture to a simmer to allow the butter to melt
5. Mix together the eggs and sugar
6. Mix the chocolate into the cream
7. Whisk the egg and sugar mixture into the chocolate, add the coffee, and fold nuts into the chocolate
8. Pour mix into pans and bake for about 30 minutes. Can take up to 50 minutes. Should look set when it’s done.
9. Let the tortes cool before removing from molds

Vanilla and Honey Cream

This whipped cream is crazy-tasty!

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 vanilla bean (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1T honey
    

Combine ingredients into a mixing bowl, whip to stiff peak