Leny's hazelnut macaroon dream cake

This is by far the most complicated cake I have ever made. It took me two hours but it was totally worth it... it tastes of dreams!

My mother's in law birthday is coming up, and we celebrated yesterday. She loves hazelnuts and especially this type of cake. It has a very fine taste and it is not particularly sweet.

As this is a difficult cake, I have made a picture for every step you need to take.

Leny's hazelnut macaroon dream cake

ingredients for the hazelnut macaroons

• 360 gr skinned and roasted hazelnuts
• 225 gr sugar
• 1/4 tea spoon salt
• 6 egg whites
• 1 vanilla sugar
• 2 table spoon sugar

instructions for the hazelnut macaroons

1. In case the hazelnuts are not roasted, make sure to roast them in a pan, which you already made humid with a few drops oil, and spread them with some kitchen paper.

2. Let the nuts cool down and keep 15-20 pieces apart.

3. Grind them fine and add the sugar and salt.

4. Cut  the baking paper in four 20 cm circles.

5. Lay the baking paper circles on another baking paper sheet and put them in an over tray.

6. Use some vegetable oil to oil the baking paper circle.

7. Beat the egg whites, with the vanilla and the 2 table spoons sugar, until stiff.

8. Add the grind hazelnuts mix in the egg whites mix and fold the dough. Do not add them in one time, but gradually, not to destroy the bubbles of the egg white mix.

9. Spread evenly 1/4 of the mix on each baking paper circle, until the edge.

10. Bake in 160C for 20-25 minutes, until the turn golden brown.

11. Let them cool down.

ingredients for the chocolate butter cream

• 250 gr butter
• 200 ml water
• 50 gr powder sugar
• 100 gr butter cream mix
• 200 gr pure melted chocolate
• 75 ml water
• 1 shot of dark rum

instructions for the chocolate butter cream

1. Melt the chocolate with the water in soft fire.
2. You need to let the butter out of the fridge until it turns soft.
3. Beat the butter for 7 minutes.
4. In the meanwhile add the sugar to the water and whisk.
5. Add the butter cream mix to the water & sugar mix.
6. Add the mix to the butter and let the machine beat until the mix becomes uniform.
7. If it splits, don't panic, just keep beating it in high speed until it becomes even. 
8. Keep half of the butter cream apart, for the top of the cake.
9. Add the melted chocolate  in the other half and put both in the fridge for 30 minutes.

You can use the chocolate butter cream to fill the cake and the white butter cream to cover the cake. 

Best tool is a silicone spatula. This is a four layers cake, so you will need to spread a thin layer of the chocolate butter cream and add each macaroon separately.

   

I used chocolate flakes for the sides decoration and the kept hazelnuts for the top decoration.