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Esterhazy Torte is an elegant European-style celebration cake built from five delicate hazelnut dacquoise layers, rich chocolate pastry cream, and a deeply flavorful hazelnut praline.
Each layer brings its own texture to the finished dessert: the baked dacquoise is light, nutty, and softly chewy, while the chocolate hazelnut cream adds a smooth, luxurious contrast.
Toasting the hazelnuts before using them brings out their caramel-like aroma and gives the cake a noticeably deeper nutty character.
The filling begins as a thick cocoa pastry cream enriched with dark chocolate, then gets transformed with homemade hazelnut praline paste.
The result is creamy, chocolatey, and intensely hazelnut-forward without losing the delicate character of the dacquoise.
A thin coating of apricot jam adds a subtle fruity note beneath the final icing, balancing the richness.
The top is finished with a smooth lemon-scented icing and four concentric chocolate circles, drawn into the characteristic decorative pattern with a skewer.
Coarsely chopped hazelnuts pressed around the sides provide a final layer of crunch and make the torte look especially impressive.
Although this is a multi-stage cake, each component can be prepared methodically, and the assembled result is well worth the effort.
Once chilled, the layers become beautifully cohesive, giving every slice a soft, creamy texture surrounded by toasted hazelnut flavor and bittersweet chocolate.
Chocolate Hazelnut Esterhazy Cake
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Toast the Hazelnuts: Place all 300 g of hazelnuts on a large baking tray in a single layer. Put the tray into a cold oven, then heat to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Roast for about 15–25 minutes, watching closely because hazelnuts burn easily. They are ready when the skins have darkened, the nuts smell toasted, and the centers have turned a light caramel colour.
- Remove the Hazelnut Skins: Immediately transfer the toasted hazelnuts to a clean tea towel. Wrap them in the towel and rub the nuts together so the skins flake away. It is fine if some skin remains. Set the hazelnuts aside to cool.
- Heat the Milk: Line a shallow tray with greaseproof paper. Place the milk and vanilla extract in a saucepan and heat until boiling.
- Prepare the Egg Mixture: While the milk heats, whisk the egg yolks and 100 g caster sugar until the mixture becomes thick and pale. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder, then whisk until smooth.
- Combine the Milk Mixture: Gradually pour the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking continuously. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan.
- Cook the Crème Pâtissière: Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue cooking for a few more minutes, whisking continuously, until the cream becomes very thick.
- Add the Chocolate: Add the chopped dark chocolate to the hot pastry cream and stir until completely melted and incorporated.
- Chill the Pastry Cream: Scrape the chocolate pastry cream onto the lined tray. Cover it directly with cling film, pressing the film against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cold.
- Make the Praline: Line a small tray with greaseproof paper. Place 75 g of toasted hazelnuts and 75 g caster sugar in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat while stirring continuously until the sugar melts and turns caramel-coloured.
- Cool the Praline: Quickly transfer the caramelized hazelnut mixture to the lined tray and leave it until completely cool.
- Blend the Praline Paste: Break the cooled praline into pieces and place them in a food processor with ½ tsp oil. Process until the mixture becomes a smooth paste with a consistency similar to peanut butter. Refrigerate until needed.
- Grind the Dacquoise Hazelnuts: Place 125 g of toasted hazelnuts in a food processor and grind them to a powder. Do not over-process, as the nuts may turn into a paste.
- Preheat the Oven: Heat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3.
- Prepare the Cake Tin Liners: Cut out five circles of greaseproof paper to fit a 15 cm/6-inch round tin. If possible, use two or three tins at a time to make the baking process easier.
- Whip the Egg Whites: Put the egg whites into a large, very clean bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
- Build the Meringue: Gradually add the 135 g caster sugar, a little at a time, while continuing to whisk. Continue until the meringue is stiff and glossy.
- Fold in the Dacquoise Ingredients: Carefully fold the vanilla extract, ground hazelnuts, and sifted flour into the meringue, taking care not to lose the mixture's volume.
- Bake the Dacquoise Layers: Divide the mixture into five equal portions and gently spread one portion into each lined tin. Bake for 15 minutes. The layers should still look soft but must not be sticky to the touch.
- Repeat the Layers: Remove each baked layer from its tin while leaving the greaseproof paper attached to the bottom. Place the layers on a flat surface rather than a wire rack. Quickly wash, dry, and re-line the tins, then continue baking the remaining mixture in the same way until you have five dacquoise layers.
- Cool the Dacquoise: Leave all five layers on a flat surface until completely cool. If desired, they can remain there overnight, covered with greaseproof paper or a clean tea towel.
- Prepare the Filling: Transfer the chilled crème pâtissière to a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth. Beat in the chilled praline paste until evenly combined.
- Divide the Filling: Divide the chocolate hazelnut praline crème pâtissière into five equal portions.
- Set the First Layer: Line the serving tray or cake stand with greaseproof paper. Remove the paper from the bottom of one dacquoise layer and place the layer on the prepared tray.
- Layer the Torte: Spread one portion of the crème pâtissière evenly over the dacquoise. Place another cake layer on top. Continue alternating dacquoise and crème pâtissière until all five cake layers are stacked.
- Position the Final Layer: Place the fifth and final dacquoise layer bottom-side-up. Do not spread filling over this surface; the smooth underside will help create a cleaner finish.
- Level the Cake: Gently press down on the top of the assembled torte to level it, aiming for a flat top surface.
- Apply the Apricot Jam: Warm the apricot jam until it becomes runny. Brush a thin layer evenly over the top of the torte, then refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- Cover the Sides: Spread the remaining portion of crème pâtissière around the sides of the chilled torte, keeping the top uncovered.
- Prepare the Chocolate Decoration: Melt the 25 g dark chocolate together with ½ tsp sunflower oil. Stir until smooth, then transfer to a piping bag.
- Make the Icing: Combine the sifted icing sugar, 1 tsp sunflower oil, and lemon juice. Gradually stir in hot water, adding it one teaspoon at a time, until the icing is creamy but very thick. It should not be runny.
- Ice the Top: Using a hot, wet palette knife, spread the thick icing evenly over the top of the torte.
- Create the Chocolate Pattern: Pipe four concentric circles of melted chocolate over the icing. Immediately draw lines through the chocolate with a skewer to create the characteristic decorative pattern.
- Finish the Sides: Press the 100 g coarsely chopped hazelnuts around the sides of the cake until evenly covered.
- Refrigerate the Torte: Keep the completed Esterhazy Torte refrigerated until ready to serve.
Notes
- You will need 300 g (10.5 oz) hazelnuts in total for the entire recipe.
- Hazelnuts can burn easily, so keep a close eye on them during the 15–25 minute roasting period.
- Do not worry if some hazelnut skins remain after rubbing them in the tea towel.
- When grinding hazelnuts for the dacquoise, avoid over-processing them, as they can turn into a paste.
- The pastry cream must be completely cold before it is beaten with the praline paste.
- Cover the pastry cream directly with cling film while chilling to prevent a skin from forming.
- The dacquoise layers should be soft after baking but not sticky to the touch.
- Always cool the dacquoise layers on a flat surface rather than a wire rack.
- For the praline, hazelnut oil is ideal, but another nutty or flavourless oil can be used.
- The icing should be creamy and very thick rather than runny so it stays neatly on the cake.
- Keep the finished torte refrigerated.
Chef’s Secret
The key to a neat Esterhazy Torte is keeping the dacquoise layers as flat and even as possible from the beginning.
When spreading the mixture into the lined tins, gently distribute each portion rather than pressing or compacting it heavily.
After baking, allow the layers to cool completely on a flat surface so they retain their shape.
During assembly, use the smooth underside of the final dacquoise layer as the top of the cake, as the original method directs.
Once the filling has been added, gently press the stacked layers to level the torte before applying the apricot jam.
This creates a flatter surface for the thick icing and makes the concentric chocolate decoration much easier to apply cleanly.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the Esterhazy Torte well chilled, cutting it into neat slices to show off the alternating hazelnut dacquoise and chocolate praline cream.
The cake is rich enough to stand on its own, but a small spoonful of softly whipped cream can provide a simple accompaniment.
For presentation, keep the distinctive chocolate feathered pattern visible and let the chopped hazelnuts around the sides act as the main garnish.
A little extra apricot jam on the serving plate can echo the thin layer used beneath the icing without overwhelming the chocolate-hazelnut flavor.
Conclusion
Esterhazy Torte is an impressive layered dessert that brings together toasted hazelnuts, delicate dacquoise, chocolate pastry cream, homemade praline, apricot jam, and elegant chocolate decoration.
Its combination of creamy, nutty, crisp-edged, and softly chewy textures makes every slice especially satisfying.
While the recipe involves several individual components, careful preparation and steady assembly turn them into a beautifully finished centerpiece worthy of a special occasion.
