Hazelnut Torte with Chocolate Ganache – Glittering Klimttorte

 

My sister Emily, who’s lived in Brooklyn now for 18 years and teaches costume design and art at various colleges there, is my pulse for whatever’s art in New York. In this case, cake is art! During a visit there she took me to the Guggenheim Museum, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and then just down the street to the Neue Gallery for a piece of cake at the Cafe Sabarsky, in the basement, before going upstairs to view the Klimt art. I have never been the same since.

Over the last 7 years since my visit to Cafe Sabarsky I have cherished the memory of that piece of cake without Googling it for the recipe. Then last week I was asked to make the birthday cake for our four, family November birthdays. My father-in-law wanted a chocolate cake and so I searched out the best chocolate cake recipe, finally Googling Cafe Sabarsky Austrian cakes. It brought me to my ideal destination. *screech!* Hazelnut torte with chocolate ganache.

So for $32 on amazon.com, I bought the cookbook “Neue Cuisine,” by Kurt Gutenbrunner, and the recipe for a dream cake! The Klimttorte! You can see from the picture above and the list of ingredients how it got its name… I was unable to find edible gold leaf in Boulder in time for the celebration so we went with a poured chocolate top with a few birthday candles. Stunningly delicious! And I am looking forward to trying some of the other recipes in this wonderful book, which I highly recommend.

This is how the recipe goes. And though it will take you more than half a day to bake it, it is well worth the time! It says 12 servings, but with a half-inch slice–it is so incredibly delicious and rich, that’s all you need–I fed 22 ppl on this cake, with a slice left along with a tower of balloons from the party to be shared at Art Group on the following Monday morning…

Hazelnut Torte with Chocolate Ganache

Ganache

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

2 cups gianduja (I used Nutella)

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 1/4 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and softened

Hazelnut Cake

Cooking spray

14 oz (3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

22 large eggs, separated

2 1/2 cups sugar

6 1/2 cups hazelnut flour

1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs

Glaze and Gold Leaf

6 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped

8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter

Gold leaf for garnishing (optional)

It is best to make this recipe in two batches when you are making it at home in a conventional oven. Make sure all of your ingredients are room temperature.

You will need 6, 12 x 17 in baking sheets to make the many layers of hazelnut cake but the individual components are not complicate! Be not afraid! Proceed with confidence! You’ve got this.

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees farenheit. Lightly spray 6, 12 x 17 rimmed baking sheets and cover bottom with parchment paper then spray parchment lightly with cooking spray.
2. Make the ganache: In a large bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, or in a microwave, heat the semisweet and milk chocolate chips with the gianduja/Nutella until just melted. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.
   

   Melted semisweet and milk chocolate chips with Nutella.

3. In a small saucepan, heat the cream over high heat until bubbles appear around the edges; remove from the heat. Using a rubber spatula, stir 1/3 cup of the hot cream at a time into the melted chocolate until the mixture is very thick and shy. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes, then stir in the butter until smooth.
   
4. Refrigerate the ganache for 20 minutes. Then let it stand until spreadable before using.
5. Meanwhile, make the hazelnut cake: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes.
6. In another large bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites at medium speed until slightly thickened and foamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat until the whites hold medium peaks, about 5 minutes.Using a rubber spatula, stir one-third of the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Gently fold this mixture into the remaining egg whites just until smooth.
7. In another large bowl, whisk the hazelnut flour with the breadcrumbs. Fold into the wet ingredients until smooth.
8. Using a spatula, spread one-sixth/one-third (depending on whether you are making it all at once or in two batches) of the batter in each pan. Transfer to the oven and bake until the cake is light brown, about 12 minutes. Remove to racks and let cool completely in the pans.
9. Using a pot lid as a guide, cut each cake into two 8 1/2 inch rounds. Set one of the cake rounds on the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Spread about 1/8 inch of ganache on top (the same thickness of the cake). Set another round on top and repeat the layering with the remaining ganache and cake rounds, finishing with a layer of ganache. Refrigerate overnight. 
10. Make the glaze: in a double boiler or a medium bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, or in a a microwave, heat the chocolate with the butter until just melted. Remove from the heat, stir until smooth, and let cool slightly. Remove the cake from the freezer.
11. Pour the glaze over the top and sides of the cake, then spread it evenly all over the cake. Refrigerate the cake until the glaze is set, 5 to 10 minutes, before serving.
12. If using gold leaf: Crumble the gold leaf on top and serve.
13. Note: Yes, my cake was only 11 stories high, not 12, as one of the edges of my layers got a bit crispy in the oven.

I considered making another 1/2 recipe of the ganache in order to cover the sides of the cake, but I ran out of time. I fyou do this, you will have a much smoother finish on the sides of the cake before you pour on the glaze. Then the glaze will cover it perfectly.

I hope you enjoyed this post and THANKS for reading.

Best regards,

Cooky