Chocolate Hazelnut Torte

This torte is so decadent, so delicious, and so very bad for you, I only make it about once a year. In fact, my friend Brittany had to request it for me to make it this time. Don’t get me wrong – it’s absolutely delicious. And absolutely contains copious amounts of butter, chocolate, nuts and eggs. Fortunately, it’s super easy to make (provided you have a food processor). I recommend making it when you have guests coming over so there’s less left over to tempt you. That’s how I do it anyway. I originally found this from Food Network, but I’ve made it enough that I like to pretend it’s my own. Also: If you have trouble finding hazelnuts, I’ve made this with almonds. Just be sure to add a teaspoon of almond extract if you go this route, because almonds won’t have the same strong flavor as hazelnuts. But if you can find hazelnuts, use them. It’s definitely tastier.

Finally, I like to pretend I’m at Olive Garden (have you had the Torta di Chocolate? Because it’s fantastic.) and reduce down some heavy whipping cream and serve with fresh berries. Or, if you’re making this in West Virginia in January, add a tablespoon of sugar to a bag of frozen berries and cook down a bit.

Chocolate Hazelnut Torte
1 cup hazelnuts
1 cup bittersweet or dark chocolate chips
1 cup butter (soften)
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
1/2 cup flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan. (Note: I use a Springform pan for this because it makes it super easy to get out and cut. But if you don’t have one, you could line your cake pan with parchment paper to help it out more easily.)

In the bowl of a food processor, grind chocolate and nuts to a fine paste. Add butter and sugar and pulse until well mixed. Add eggs 1 at a time. Scrape down bowl. Add flour. Fill prepared cake pan with torte batter. Spread carefully to level and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until cake tester comes out clean.

Vanilla Creme Sauce
1/3 C. heavy cream
1 t. vanilla extract

Simmer heavy cream over stove for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in vanilla. Serve warm over torte. Slice fresh berries to garnish. Enjoy!