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Moist Hazelnut Nougat Torte with Real Nougat Buttercream

Prep
20 min
Bake
15 min
Total
35 min
Makes
12 slices

Ingredients

Cake Layers

  • 10egg whitesYes, 10!
  • 3 ⅓ cups400 gpowdered sugarVery finely ground sugar for icings and dusting. In the US use powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar); in the UK, icing sugar.
  • 1 ¼ cups150 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes this means soft wheat flour Type 405. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • 2 ½ cups250 ghazelnutsground
  • 1 pinchsalt

Buttercream

  • 3egg yolks
  • 6 tbsp80 ggranulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp30 mlwater
  • 1 stick110 gunsalted buttersoftened. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 2 oz60 ghazelnut nougat (gianduja)softened. German nougat is a soft hazelnut chocolate, not the white chewy nougat known in the US and UK. In the US and UK use gianduja; for fillings, chocolate hazelnut spread works but is softer.

Decoration

  • couverture chocolatedark. Chocolate with a high cocoa butter content that melts smoothly for coating and glazing. In the US use good-quality baking chocolate bars or couverture wafers (not chocolate chips); in the UK, couverture chocolate or a good-quality cooking chocolate bar.
  • hazelnutschopped

Method

Cake Layers

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) convection (fan). Line 3 baking sheets with reusable baking mats or parchment paper.

  2. Beat the egg whites with the powdered sugar and salt until stiff.

  3. Mix the flour and hazelnuts thoroughly, sift them over the beaten egg whites, fold in and spoon the batter into a piping bag.

  4. Pipe the batter onto the mats as three cake layers and bake them in the oven right away.

  5. Pipe the remaining batter in a lattice pattern and bake it right away as well.

  6. After baking, let all the layers and the lid cool completely, then peel them off the mats and trim them a little if needed.

  7. Brush the lid with the melted chocolate.

Buttercream

  1. Beat the egg yolks vigorously for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Meanwhile, boil the water with the sugar to 241°F (116°C) and pour it into the egg yolks in a thin stream. Keep beating the mixture until it has cooled back down to room temperature.

  2. Beat the butter vigorously, then beat the egg yolk mixture into the butter in about three portions. Finally, stir in the hazelnut nougat.

  3. Spread a third of the buttercream on the first cake layer, smooth it out and top with the next layer. Use up the buttercream and layers, keeping back just a small amount of buttercream to frost the torte.

  4. Press the chopped hazelnuts around the side of the torte.

From German Pastry Chef. Full recipe with photos: germanpastrychef.com/recipes/hazelnut-nougat-torte/