Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites
• ½ cup (110 g)sugar
• 5 oz (140 g)hazelnuts, finely ground
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 9 oz (250 g)dark sweet chocolate(60_70%)
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup (70 g)sugar
• ¼cup +1 cupwhipping cream

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 deg F(Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C).
• Line a 9 inch cake tin with grease proof or other non-stick paper and grease the tin.
• Whisk the eggs whites until stiff and in peaks by using an electric mixer, gradually add the sugar and whisk well each time sugar has been added.
• Mix with finely ground hazelnuts and cocoa powder.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool the cake.
• Melt finely chopped dark chocolate over hot water.
• Beat the egg yolks with 2 oz sugar until white.
• Heat ¼ cup whipping cream to the boiling point, and whisk in beaten egg yolks.
• Fold in melted chocolate.
• The mixture will immediately thicken.
• Cool to approx. 100 deg F / 38 deg C.
• Whisk 1 cup of whipping cream.
• Fold with the egg and chocolate mixture, one tablespoon at a time until the filling becomes soft, then the remaining part of the cream.
• Transfer to the cake tin, and place in the refrigerator for several hours.
• If served cold the filling appears more like chocolate truffle than mousse.
• If you prefer a more sweet flavor of the filling you can use semisweet chocolate (40-45%) instead of the recommended type.
• For decoration – make chocolate panels to cover around outside of cake.
• To make chocolate panels: melt 8 oz (250 g) bittersweet chocolate.
• Spread onto a piece of baking paper.
• Allow to become mat dry.
• Mark panels height of cake x 2 inches (5 cm) by scoring with a knife.
• When set a little more, break off panel pieces and stick onto outside of cake by using a little mousse as a ‘glue’ Overlap each piece little.
• Decorate top with piped mousse, Tie a ribbon around circumference of cake .

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