We declare today as official Spoon Day, celebrating the first week of the release of The Spoon | Volume 1. Join us, grab a fork… or a spoon and take a bite from the lovely Esterhazy cake. Recipe is adapted from Nigella Lawson.
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- 500 g sugar
- 500 g baked hazelnuts
- 5 tablespoons of flour
- 300 g butter
- 2 tablespoons of apricot jam
- 250 g fine white sugar
- lemon juice
- 50 g dark chocolate
Method
- Separate egg whites and yolks. Beat stiffly 12 egg whites while gradually adding 250g of sugar. When finished turn the mixer at very low and add 5 tablespoons of flour and 250g of grounded hazelnuts(the secret is to bake the hazelnuts in the oven even if you buy them baked for the smell of the torta comes from them, bake at 180 degrees in the oven for a couple of minutes or until the faint smell of hazelnuts fills the kitchen or when they start turning dark brown)
- Peel away as much as you can blackened part cut out 5 round papers from the baking paper.
- Turn the oven to 160 degrees and then spread one fifth of the egg white shaum on the paper, put the paper in a tin pan-the same size as the round paper (approximately 5-6 tablespoons) and bake for 14 minutes.
- In between baking the layers always put the shaum in the refrigerator. Repeat 4 times. Put them on the even surface without removing the baking paper once they have baked.
- For the filling: Mix 12 egg yolks and 250g of sugar with the mixer 1 minute and then put the pan that you have mixed in in another one larger filled with boiling water (steam cooking) and on medium heat constantly stir for about 15 minutes.
- Let cool and then add 300g of softened butter and 170g grounded hazelnuts. Take 2 tablespoons of this cream and save for later.
- On the plate where the torta will be served removing first the baking paper put the first layer and then spread one forth of the filling,layer…filling…layer.. filling..layer..filling.. layer The last layer should be set with the even side up.
- Bring 2 tablespoons of jam to a boil with one teaspoon of water. Spread the apricot jam across the top of the torta (this prevents the icing from melting into the cake)
- Put the torta in the freezer for 10 minutes and during that time mix by hand 250g of fine white sugar (grounded) tablespoon of lemon juice, tablespoon of oil and a teaspoon of butter while gradually adding drop by drop hot water.
- Stir constantly until you get a smooth shiny white icing. You may add more lemon juice or oil. Remove the torta from the freezer spread the icing on top.
- Melt the chocolate (steam melt) with a teaspoon of oil and pur into a small plastic bag (10x10cm) cut a very small opening and decorate the top of the torta with straight lines 3 cm apart. With a toothpick go across the lines in the other direction making the “brackets”
- The rest of the hazelnuts- 80g ground just a bit leaving the big chunky peaces. The two tablespoons of filling you left behind spread on the side of the cake and with hands glue the hazelnuts. That is it!
