Choc Hazelnut Mascarpone Torte 2

---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Choc Hazelnut Mascarpone Torte 2
Categories: Cakes
Yield: 8 servings

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Make the caramelized hazelnuts and hazelnut praline:
Lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. In a small
saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring
constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to medium-high
and continue to cook
without stirring for 4 to 6 minutes until the syrup caramelizes.
Immediately
remove the pan from the heat. Add the 12 perfect hazelnuts to the caramel
and
toss to coat. With an oiled fork, remove each hazelnut, letting the excess
caramel drip back into the pan, and place them at one end of the prepared
baking sheet. Quickly stir the 3/4 cup of hazelnuts into the remaining hot
caramel. Pour the hazelnut praline onto the other end of the baking sheet.
Cool the praline for 30 minutes until hard. Reserve the individual
caramelized hazelnuts for decorating the cake. Coarsely chop the praline.
In a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade, process the
praline for 35 to 45 seconds until finely ground. Transfer
the praline to a bowl and set aside. Make the framboise syrup:
In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Cook over medium heat,
stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves . Stop
stirring; raise the heat to medium-high and bring the syrup to a boil.
Remove
the pan from the heat and stir in the framboise liqueur and vanilla. Make
the mascarpone cream filling:
In a 4 1/2-quart bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer using the wire whip
attachment, beat together the mascarpone cheese, sugar and framboise
liqueur
at medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. While continuing to beat
the
mixture, gradually add the heavy cream; increase the speed to medium-high
and
beat the mascarpone mixture until soft peaks form and the mixture is
spreadable. Cover and refrigerate the cream until ready to use. Assemble
the cake:
Using a long serrated knife, cut the cake lengthwise into 3 long strips of
equal width. Place one cake strip on a wire rack. Using a pastry brush,
moisten the top of the chocolate cake strip with some
of the framboise syrup. Using an offset metal cake spatula, spread 1/4 cup
of
the mascarpone cream over the moistened cake strip. Cover the cream-coated
strip with a layer of raspberries, placed stem-side-down in even rows over
the cake (this will take approximately 2 1/3 cups of raspberries). Scrape
l 1/2
cups of the mascarpone cream on top of the raspberries. Using a small
offset
metal spatula smooth the cream into an even layer, allowing it to settle
into
the gaps in between the raspberries. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the ground
praline
over the cream layer. Place a second cake strip on top of the praline;
repeat
the preceding layering process and top with the final cake strip. Reserve
the
remaining ground praline to garnish the sides of the cake. Spread the
remaining mascarpone cream in a thin even layer around the sides of the
cake,
filling in all the gaps. Place the wire rack with the cake on it in the
refrigerator for l hour to set. Make the glaze:
Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream
and corn syrup to a gentle boil. Pour the hot cream mixture over the
chocolate.
Let the mixture stand for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Gently whisk
until smooth. Allow the glaze to cool for 5 minutes. Glaze the cake:
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and place the wire rack on a baking
sheet. Pour the glaze over the cake, covering it completely. While the
glaze
is still wet, put the remaining ground praline around the sides of the
cake.
Refrigerate the cake for 5 to 10 minutes, until the glaze is set. Garnish
the
top of the cake with the caramelized hazelnuts.

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