Hazelnut Crunch Cake

Hazelnut Crunch Cake with Mascarpone and Chocolate
Recipe courtesy: Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Italian

This is not only the best dessert that I have ever made - I think it one of the best desserts that I have EVER had! It was that good. Served to company after an evening Italian dinner party where I served antipasto, Lasagna Rolls ( Giada's recipe too), fresh tomatoes and basil, grilled asparagus and watermelon with balsamic vinegar, basil and feta. Try it, you will love it too!

While this recipe seems lengthy, in reality most of the time consuming part can be done ahead. I baked the cake a day early, cooled completely, and placed in plastic bas. I made the "crunch" ahead too. Let cool completely and placed in an airtight tin. (Cooks note: to get the brown cover off the hazelnuts, I used a paper towel and rubbed them after browning, came off very easily and you don't want the brown shells marring this beautiful cake).

Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min
Inactive Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients
Cake:

1 box chocolate cake mix

Crunch:
1 cup (about 4 1/2-ounces) hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water

Filling:
2 (8-ounce) containers mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 cup cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
1/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour 2 (8-inch) cake pans. Prepare the cake mix according to package instructions. Divide the batter between the 2 cake pans and bake according to package instructions. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

For the Crunch:
Place the toasted nuts close together in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir the sugar mixture until dissolved. Bring to a boil and let cook until the sugar is light brown, about 8 minutes. Let the bubbles subside then pour the caramelized sugar over the nuts. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and let the sugar nut mixture cool until hard, about 30 minutes. When the sugar nut mixture is hard and cool, top with another piece of parchment paper and pound into small pieces, or place the sugar nut mixture on a cutting board and cut into small pieces. Set aside.

For the filling:
Put the mascarpone cheese, cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer whip the cream mixture to soft peaks. Fold the Crunch mixture into the whipped cream.

For the topping:
Place the chocolate, sugar and zest in a food processor. Process the mixture until the chocolate is finely ground.

To assemble the cake:
Put 1 cake on a serving plate. Top with 1-inch of the whipped cream crunch mixture. Top with the second layer of cake and continue frosting the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream crunch mixture. Sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with the ground chocolate. Serve.

Buon Appetito!