Chocolate Hazelnut Flourless Cake

Can you say decadent?  How about orgasmic?  This rich, dense flourless cake has made it on the top 10 list of my favorite desserts.  There is some prep involved, but knowing that going in alleviates the surprise.  Read the recipe entirely first so you are prepared.  Have the ingredients ready ahead of time.  This dessert is definitely worth the extra work.

Ingredients

1 sleeve Lorna Doone shortbread cookies
1/2 C finely chopped hazelnuts
3 T butter, melted

1 recipe Hazelnut butter (see below)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
2 tsp. instant espresso
1 C Nutello or other hazelnut spread
6 eggs
1/2 C sugar
1 C heavy cream
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
1/4 C sugar
Unsweetened cocoa
Whole hazelnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 10" springform pan. Wrap outside of pan tightly with heavy duty foil; set aside.  For crust, in a small bowl stir together crushed shortbread cookies and the 1/2 C chopped hazelnuts.  Add the melted butter and mix together until moistened. Press into the springform pan.  Set aside.

Prepare hazelnut butter; set aside. In a medium microwave safe bowl add the chocolates and the instant espresso.  Heat on medium-high setting approx. 1 minute and 20 seconds, stirring occasionally until smooth. Stir in hazelnut butter and Nutello.

In a large mixing bowl beat eggs with a mixer on medium until frothy. Gradually add sugar, beating on medium-high until mixture is thick (approx. 5 minutes).  Pour mixture into egg mixture and fold gently.

In another bowl beat the heavy cream on medium until soft peaks form. Gently fold into chocolate mixture.  Pour mixture into pan and spread evenly.  Place pan in a roasting pan. Place roasting pan in oven and pour enough hot water into the pan to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Bake for 1-1/4 hours. Turn off oven and let cake sit in oven with door closed for 45 minutes.

Carefully remove springform pan from water. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Loosen cake from sides of pan, remove foil and cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours.  Let cake stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

In a medium mixing bowl with whisk attachment beat mascarpone cheese & sugar until fluffy. Add to a pastry bag with star tip and pipe around the edge of the cake.  Dust edge with cocoa and garnish with whole hazelnuts.  You can also serve the mascarpone mixture on the side.

Hazelnut Butter: Place 1 c toasted hazelnuts in a food processor. Process until it forms a paste. Add 2 T vegetable oil and pulse until well combined.

This recipe was adapted from the Gianduja Mousse Cake recipe featured in the Better Homes & Gardens Fall Baking publication.