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1
Preheat the oven to 325F.
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2
Butter and flour a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
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3
In a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts until coarsely chopped.
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4
Reserve.
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5
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar, hazelnut paste, and vanilla.
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6
Using an electric mixer, beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
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7
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
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8
Add the baking powder, salt, and cocoa and beat to combine.
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9
Gradually add the flour, stopping the beater when it is just combined.
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10
Fold 1 cup of the chopped hazelnuts into the batter, reserving the rest for garnish.
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11
Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
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12
Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pan, and let cool completely.
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13
In a large mixing bowl, combine the Nutella and mascarpone.
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14
In another large bowl, beat the heavy cream to soft peaks (see page 234)you can use an electric beater here or just a whisk and good old-fashioned elbow grease.
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15
Add a spoonful of the whipped cream to the Nutella mixture and stir until you dont see any streaks.
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16
Using a rubber spatula, fold a third of the remaining whipped cream into the Nutella mixture.
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17
To do this, lift the mixture gently from underneath, bring the spatula up, turn it over, and fold the mixture over as you rotate the bowl slowly.
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18
You want to do this gently; the point is to keep it fluffy and not squish the air out of the whipped cream.
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19
Repeat this process two more times with the remaining whipped cream.
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20
Youre done when you should have a fluffy, homogeneous mixture.
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21
Cut the cake into 3-inch squares or rounds and cut each of these in half equatorially.
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22
Schmear the Nutella mousse on both the bottom and the top half of each of the hazelnut cakes, then give each of the cakes a light sprinkey-dink of the chopped hazelnuts.
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23
Place the top half back on the bottom and serve immediately.
