This cake is my idea of heaven. I adore hazelnuts and love fresh cherries and the addition of the chocolate glaze makes this my king of cakes. It reminds me of a trip to the Austrian lakes visiting my uncle with my parents when I was a child and we had a delicious hazelnut torte in a local café.

This is fairly easy to make but do allow plenty of time for chilling, better overnight.

Cherry & Hazelnut Torte

INGREDIENTS

For the Hazelnut Cream

• 50g + 20g roasted ground hazelnuts
• 130ml whole milk
• 3 gelatine leaves, soaked for 10 minutes in cold water
• 500ml double cream
• 40g caster sugar
• 50g chopped roasted hazelnuts

For the Sponge

• 5 large eggs, separated
• 170g caster sugar
• 3-4 tbsp tepid water
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• pinch of salt
• 150g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 150g ground roasted hazelnuts

For the Cherry Filling

• 2 x 720g jars of cherries, drained and juices reserved
• 75g cornflour
• 420ml of reserved cherry juice

For the Chocolate Glaze

• 200ml of Chocolate Glaçage (See Basics)

To Finish

• 200ml double cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 250g fresh cherries

METHOD

1. In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil and add 20g of the ground hazelnuts.
2. Set aside to infuse for a minimum of 30 minutes.
3. To make the sponge, grease a 23cm springform and line the base with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan.
4. In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the egg yolks, caster sugar, vanilla essence and water until pale and fluffy.
5. In a separate clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff but not dry.
6. In a bowl sift together the flour and baking powder and stir in the hazelnuts.
7. Fold a third of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
8. Add the remaining egg whites and the flour mixture and gently but swiftly fold everything together until fully incorporated.
9. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 30 – 35 minutes until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
10. Turn the cake out onto a cooling rack and leave to cool completely.
11. To make the cherry filling, mix the cornflour with 120ml of the cherry juice to a smooth paste.
12. In a saucepan, bring the remaining 300ml of cherry juice to a simmer and stir in the cornflour mixture. Simmer the mixture for 1 – 2 minutes before folding in the cherries. Set aside to cool completely.
13. To make the hazelnut cream, beat the cream with the sugar until thick and creamy but not stiff.
14. Heat the hazelnut milk until hot but not boiling and add the squeezed out gelatine. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
15. Stir 2 tbsp of the cream into the gelatine mixture then fold in the remaining cream and the chopped and ground hazelnuts until combined.
16. To assemble the cake, cut the cake into three horizontally.
17. Place the first sponge onto a serving plate and enclose with a cake ring.
18. Spread with half the cherry filling. Spoon over half of the hazelnut cream and top with the second sponge.
19. Repeat with the remaining cherry filling and hazelnut cream and top with the third sponge.
20. Place the cake in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours or better overnight.
21. Remove the cake ring by running a knife around the edge or by heating the cake ring slightly with a cook’s blowtorch.
22. Beat the cream with the sugar and vanilla essence until thick but spreadable.
23. Spread the cream around the outside and top of the cake.
24. Pour over the Chocolate Glaçage and leave to set in the fridge for an hour before piling the fresh cherries on top.

Note: I have used Dr. Oetker Diamond Leaf Gelatine. If you are using a different brand, please refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.