A highly delectable cake, this Hazelnut & Chocolate Torte is very easy to prepare in a Blender or a food processor. It’s Gluten-free for anyone interested in that, quite rich and delicious. While the recipe calls for blanched almonds alongside the hazelnuts, I’m pretty sure it would work nicely with roasted walnuts as well.

Hazelnut & Chocolate Torte

120g/4 oz. almonds (preferably blanched)

120g/4 oz. skinless hazelnuts

200g/¾ cup & 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

200g/8 oz. dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), small pieces or callets

170g/¾ cup sugar

4 medium eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Place almonds and hazelnuts on a roasting tray and roast for 8 minutes, shaking the tray halfway through baking time to evenly roast.

Meanwhile, grease sides and line base of a 20cm/9 in. cake tin (with removable bottom) with baking paper. Set nuts aside and allow to cool.

In a medium saucepan set over low heat, melt butter and chocolate together. Once, melted, remove from hob and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

Add the sugar and the nuts in the bowl of your blender or food processor and pulse until everything turns into an even, sandy grain. 

Pour the melted butter and chocolate mixture into the feed tube and pulse to combine. With machine running, add the eggs one at a time followed by the vanilla and process until smooth. You may have to stop the machine and mix everything with a spatula before blending or processing again.

Transfer to prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes until firm to the touch. Allow to cool in tin before removing. Serve, dusted with icing sugar.