Cake with hazelnut wafer cream

To prepare the cake with hazelnut wafer cream, start with the chocolate sponge base (you can also check the recipe Cocoa sponge cake): in the bowl of a stand mixer, pour the whole eggs and the 8 yolks (set aside 100 g of egg whites that you will use later), add the sugar 1 and the honey (acacia or wildflower) 2. Then turn on the mixer 3. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can use an electric whisk.

Beat until you get a fluffy and homogeneous mixture 4; it will take at least 15-20 minutes for the mixture to incorporate enough air to make the sponge cake rise during baking. At this point, stop the mixer; sift the flour, cornstarch (or cornflour), and cocoa together in a bowl 5, then add the powders to the cream, stirring gently with a spatula from bottom to top to mix well without deflating the mixture 6.

Now you can line a pan with parchment paper; you can use a 9.5-inch diameter pan (preferably a springform) or alternatively, butter and flour it. Gently pour the batter into the cake pan 7 and smooth it out to even the surface 8. Place the sponge cake to bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for 45 minutes (if using a convection oven, 320°F for 35-40 minutes). While the sponge cake is baking, start on the hazelnut cream: in the bowl of the stand mixer, combine the softened butter and hazelnut paste 9.

Whip the ingredients together 10 until you get a smooth and homogeneous cream 11 that you will set aside, out of the fridge but in a cool place, while you continue with the preparation. Then, dedicate yourself to preparing the Italian Meringue which will be enriched with the hazelnut cream: in a saucepan, pour the water and add 75 g of sugar 12. Turn on the low heat and stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar.

Check the syrup's temperature with a food thermometer: it should not exceed 250°F. When it reaches 341°F 13, you can start whisking the egg whites. Pour them into the bowl of a stand mixer 14 and whip them by adding the remaining 25 g of sugar 15.

When the syrup reaches 250°F, remove it from the heat and, continuing to whip the egg whites, add the hot syrup in a thin stream 16; you need to whip the egg whites with the syrup 17 until the mixture is completely cool, to obtain a soft meringue 18.

When the meringue is well cooled, stop the mixer and add the hazelnut cream 19, mixing the two compounds gently from bottom to top with a spatula 20. Then, in a food processor, pour the hazelnut wafers 21.

Run the processor and finely chop the wafers 22 then add them to the hazelnut cream 23 you obtained, mix, and set aside in a cool place 34.

After 45 minutes, you can take the chocolate sponge cake out of the oven 25. Let it cool completely, then remove it from the pan and place it on a cutting board to cut three disks, each 0.4 inches thick, using a thin-bladed knife. For this operation, you can also consult the Cooking School: how to cut the sponge cake. Then proceed by cutting the first disk 26 and then move on to divide the remaining sponge cake 27.

Now that you've cut two more disks 28, you're ready to assemble the cake: place the base of the sponge cake on a cake stand or serving plate. In a saucepan, heat the milk that will be used for soaking, and when it is hot, brush it over the entire surface of the sponge cake, using a pastry brush 29. Then pour part of the cream on the base and spread it evenly using a spatula 30.

Cover with another sponge cake disk 31 and brush it with the soaking; proceed with another layer of cream 32 and finally place the last sponge cake disk 33, brushing it as well with the soaking. Leave the cake to cool for a moment.

Now move on to preparing the ganache cream to decorate the cake. In a saucepan, pour the fresh liquid cream and add the softened butter 34. Stir with a wooden spoon and cook over very low heat until almost boiling. When the cream with butter is near boiling, add the dark chocolate 35. Continue stirring to melt the chocolate over low heat 36. Then remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool.

When the ganache cream kept at room temperature has reached a fluid consistency, you can start coating the cake; pour the ganache in the center of the cake and spread it on the surface of the cake 37 and around it 38. Now you can start decorating with chocolate-covered wafers, placing them along the entire circumference of the cake 39. Besides enhancing the appearance, the wafers placed on the outside will be helpful for easier portioning of your cake.

When you have finished 40 to complete the decoration, you can make ganache cream puffs using a piping bag with a star nozzle 41 and serve your cake with hazelnut wafer cream 42!