White chocolate, raspberry & hazelnut marble torte

Good enough to impress any crowd, this can be made ahead and whipped out of the fridge an hour before serving

  • Prep:50 mins
    Cook:1 hrs
    Plus overnight chilling
  • Serves 10
  • A challenge

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 879
  • fat 67g
  • saturates 34g
  • carbs 59g
  • sugars 48g
  • fibre 3g
  • protein 12g
  • salt 0.99g

Ingredients

  • 140g hazelnuts, toasted
  • 140g golden caster sugar
  • 140g self-raising flour
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • 140g butter, melted
  • 75ml milk
  • 400g white chocolate, broken into chunks
  • 2 sheets leaf gelatine
  • 586ml pot double cream
  • 3 egg whites
  • 450g frozen raspberries, plus a few extra to decorate
  • 4 tbsp Frangelico hazelnut liqueur or Disaronno
  • icing sugar, for dusting
  • 100g white chocolate, to make chocolate curls (see know-how below)

Tip

Powdered
Sprinkle powdered gelatine over 2-3 tbsp liquid in a small pan until it swells, then gently warm to melt completely. If you’re adding the gelatine into hot ingredients, you can skip the melting stage, but be careful not to let the gelatine boil as it affects how well your mousse will set.Leaf
Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 4-5 mins, remove, squeeze out the excess water, then gently melt in liquid in a small pan.Gelatine
One sheet of leaf gelatine is the same as 1 tsp of powdered gelatine, and you usually need 4 leaves or 4 tsps to set 570ml of liquid. Both types achieve the same end result, but they need to be prepared in different ways.How to make your chocolate swirls
The easiest way is with a swivel vegetable peeler. Break your chocolate into chunks, let it warm to room temperature (or put in the microwave for 10 seconds), then peel off curls with the peeler. For more extravagant curls, melt the chocolate, then spread in thin layers over a flat surface such as an upturned baking tray or slab of marble. When the chocolate looks set, but is still slightly soft, hold a long knife at a 45-degree angle to the chocolate, then pull towards you to curl.

Method

  1. For the sponge, heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4, then grease and line the base of a deep 22cm springform cake tin. Finely chop the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor, then tip into a bowl with the sugar, flour and bicarbonate of soda. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then quickly stir the butter, milk and yolks into the dry ingredients. When the mixture is smooth, stir in one-third of the egg whites, then gently fold in the rest. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, bake for 40-50 mins until the cake is golden andspringy to touch, then allow to cool.

  2. For the mousse, melt the chocolate in a glass bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, then let it cool slightly. Soften the gelatine in water, squeeze out, then put in a small pan with 100ml of the cream. Gently warm over a low heat until the gelatine is melted (you shouldn’t be able to see any clear streaks in the cream), then tip into a bowl with the remaining cream and egg whites. Make sure you thoroughly scrape out the pan so no gelatine is left behind. Beat until it holds its shape, then spoon a quarter of this creamy mixture into the melted chocolate. Mix briefly until smooth. Fold in the remaining cream mix and raspberries, swirling the mixture so the berries begin to marble the mousse, then set aside until the cake is cool.

  3. To assemble, split the sponge in half and re-line the base of the cake tin with baking parchment. Use a long continuous strip of baking parchment to wrap around and line the inside, as this will help to make the sides of the finished torte look smooth. Press the bottom half of the cake back into the tin, sprinkle with half of the liqueur, then gently spoon over the mousse. Sprinkle the cut side of the top cake with the remaining liqueur and put this, liqueur-soaked side down, on top of the mousse. Press down gently, wrap the entire tin in cling film, then chill overnight.

  4. To serve, remove the torte from the fridge about 1 hr before you want to eat it, release from the tin, then gently peel off the baking parchment. Lightly dust the top of the torte with icing sugar, then pile on the chocolate curls (see box, below) and a few raspberries.

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