Amedei chocolate and hazelnut torte by Black Star Pastry

Amedei chocolate and hazelnut torte by Black Star Pastry

Serves 20

INGREDIENTS:

100g Amedei Toscano Black Chocolate 66%, melted
Edible gold leaf, to decorate*

1¼ cups pure icing sugar
40g dark cocoa powder
250g almond meal

300g egg whites (about 8 eggs)

1 cup caster sugar

50g chopped hazelnuts
Chuao ganache
425g Amedei Chuao Chocolate finely chopped
50ml glucose syrup
540ml pure cream

Gianduja ganache

400g Callebaut Milk Chocolate,
finely chopped
300g chocolate hazelnut paste (such as Nutella)
300ml pure cream
Toscano mousse
300g Amedei Toscano Black Chocolate 66%, finely chopped
2 egg yolks
45g caster sugar
350ml thickened cream
95g egg whites (about 2½ eggs)

Chocolate glaze

1 cup pure icing sugar
2 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon glucose syrup
1–2 tablespoons warm water

METHOD:

To make dacquoise, preheat oven to 200°C. Line 4 baking trays with baking paper. Draw a 20cm x 30cm rectangle on each piece of baking paper.

Sift icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl. Add almond meal and stir to combine.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add caster sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until sugar dissolves and meringue is thick and glossy. Add icing sugar mixture and use a metal spoon to gently fold until just combined. Divide among prepared trays. Using a palette knife, spread meringue over rectangles. Sprinkle evenly with chopped hazelnuts. Bake for 25 minutes, swapping trays halfway through cooking, until dacquoise is dry to touch. Cool.

To make Chuao ganache, place chocolate and glucose in a heatproof bowl. Place cream in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring?to boil. Pour over chocolate mixture and stir with a metal spoon until chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Pour into a 20cm x 30cm plastic container or roasting pan. Set aside until ready to assemble.

Meanwhile, to make Gianduja ganache, place chocolate and hazelnut paste in a heatproof bowl. Place cream in a large saucepan over a high heat. Bring to boil. Pour over chocolate mixture and stir with a metal spoon until chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool.

To make Toscano mousse, place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water (make sure bowl doesn’t touch the water). Stir with a metal spoon until chocolate melts. Remove from heat. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly.

Combine egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pan half-filled with simmering water (ensure the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Whisk for 5 minutes or until pale and creamy. Remove from heat. Whisk the cream in a bowl until soft peaks form. ?Add melted chocolate and one-quarter of whipped cream to egg yolk mixture and fold to combine. Gently fold in remaining cream.

Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until firm peaks form. Gently fold into chocolate mixture.

Place a dacquoise sheet over set Chuao ganache in a plastic container. Spoon over one-third of Gianduja ganache and spread with a palette knife. Top with one-third of Toscano mousse. Repeat layering with remaining dacquoise sheets, ganache and mousse, finishing with a dacquoise sheet . Spread melted chocolate over dacquoise. Cover and place in the freezer overnight to set. Turn onto a clean work surface.

To make the glaze, combine icing sugar and cocoa in a heatproof bowl. Stir in glucose and water until a thin paste forms. Place bowl over a saucepan half-filled with simmering water (make sure bowl doesn’t touch the water). Cook, stirring, for 2–4 minutes or until the temperature of glaze reaches 40°C on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat. Pour over top and sides of torte.

Set aside for 30 minutes to set. Transfer to a plate. Using tweezers, decorate the top of torte with gold leaf.