Haselnusstorte (Hazelnut Torte) Recipe

For the pans: Butter two 10-inch spring form pans, add half the flour to each and tilt the pans from side to side until all surfaces are evenly coated with flour. Tap our excess flour and set the pans aside. Preheat oven to 350°. For the torte: Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixer bowl at highest speed for 3-5 minutes, until the color and consistency of mayonnaise. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the hazelnuts. The mixture will be very thick. Beat the egg whites with the salt to stiff peaks. Fold about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the hazelnut mixture to lighten it, then gently (but thoroughly) fold in the balance until there are no streaks of white or tan. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans, smoothing the surface as much as possible. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Loosen each layer around the edge with a spatula, then release and remove the spring form pan sides. Very carefully loosen from the pan bottoms, lift the bottoms off and cool the layers on wire racks to room temperature. For the filling and frosting: Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla to very stiff peaks. Place one torte layer upside down on a large cake plate and spread with half the whipped cream. Set the second layer on top, right side up and frost with the remaining whipped cream. Do not frost the sides of the cake. To decorate: Arrange the whole hazelnuts in a circle around the top of the torte or sprinkle the finely ground nuts evenly over the top. Let the torte stand at least 30 minutes before serving. Cut with a sharp serrated knife. Serves 12.