I love Florentine biscuits and I adore Belgium Gianduja chocolates. Here I combined both in this lovely torte, which also happened to be my birthday cake.

Gianduja Florentine Torte

INGREDIENTS

For the Pastry

• 250g plain flour
• 75g caster sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 125g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 medium egg

For the Florentine Topping

• 100ml double cream
• 75g caster sugar
• 50g of mixed candied fruit, chopped
• 100g flaked almonds

For the Praline Filling

• 2 gelatine leaves, soaked for 10 minutes in cold water (see Notes)
• 400g of set praline (see Basics)
• 500ml double cream

To Decorate

• 200g double cream
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla essence

METHOD

1. To make the pastry, place the flour, sugar, salt and butter in a food processor and pulse until you have fine breadcrumbs.
2. Add the vanilla essence and egg and pulse again until just combined. Tip the mixture out onto a worktop and bring everything together with your hands. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Make the Florentine topping. Place the cream and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the chopped candied fruit and the almonds and stirring all the time, let it simmer for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Divide the pastry in two, rewrap one half and set aside in the fridge.
5. Grease and line a 25 cm springform with baking parchment. Roll out the remaining pastry into a thin 25cm circle, place into the tin and prick all over with a fork.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Leave to cool on a cooling rack.
7. Roll out the remaining pastry into a thin 25cm circle and place into the relined springform. Prick the pastry all over with a fork and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
8. Remove the tin from the oven and spread the Florentine topping over the pastry. Return the tin to the oven for another 8 minutes.
9. Remove the springform ring and cut the still warm pastry with a damp knife into 16 even slices. Leave to cool.
10. To make the praline filling, cut the praline into cubes. In a saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the squeezed out gelatine and the praline. Stir until the praline has melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool.
11. Place the plain pastry onto a serving plate and enclose with a close fitting cake ring.
12. Spread with the cooled filling and smooth the top. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours until set.
13. To finish, beat the cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff but still spreadable.
14. Spoon the cream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe 16 rosettes around the top of the cake.
15. Arrange the cut Florentine pastry slices over the top.

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