1. TOASTING THE HAZELNUTS:(Make a day ahead). 2. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for 12-15 minutes, shaking the pan two or three times, until the nuts are golden. Store in air-tight container.(The oven has to be at the correct temperature for the meringues). 3. HAZELNUT MERINGUE LAYERS: 4. Preheat oven to 300ºF. 5. Generously butter 17"x12"x1" jelly roll pan. 6. Line bottom with parchment paper. Then, lightly butter parchment paper. Dust with flour and tap off excess. 7. Place 2 cups toasted hazelnuts in a food processor. Cover & process until very fine, but not oily. 8. Combine ground hazelnuts and flour in medium bowl. 9. Cover and process remaining toasted hazelnuts. Reserve for garnishing the cake. 10. Beat egg whites in clean large mixing bowl until frothy, using electric mixer at medium-low speed. 11. Add salt and increase the speed to medium-high and beat egg whites until soft peaks start to form. 12. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well. 13. Continue beating until stiff, shiney peaks form. 14. Gently fold in hazelnut-flour mixture. Spread hazelnut meringue in prepared pan. 15. Bake fo 30-35 minutes or until very lightly browned and just set when lightly touched. 16. Cool cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. 17. Invert the cake onto the wire rack and peel off the parchment paper and cool the cake completly. 18. MAKE THE DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE: 19. Put chocolate in medium bowl. 20. Heat cream in saucepan until it comes to a boil. 21. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let stand 30 seconds to soften the chocolate. 22. Whisk mixture until smooth. 23. Stir in butter and liqueur. 24. Let cool for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. 25. Dip 12 hazelnuts in chocolate ganache for garnish and let set. 26. MAKE THE BUTTERCREAM: 27. Place the egg yolks in mixing bowl. 28. Place bowl in a shallow bowl filled with hot water; set the bowl with the egg yolks directly over it, letting the water touch the bottom of the bowl to warm the egg yolks. 29. Stir gently for 1 minute or until the yolks are warm. 30. Remove bowl from water. 31. Beat egg yolks 5-7 minutes, using electric mixer at medium-high speed. 32. Beat until yolks have tripled in volume and form a ribbon when beater is raised. 33. While the eggs are mixing, prepare the syrup. 34. PREPARING SYRUP: 35. Combine granulated sugar and corn syrup in saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. 36. With the mixer running at medium speed, carefully(hot sugar really burns)pour the hot syrup into bowl with eggs. 37. Continue to beat the eggs, until they have cooled to room temperature, about 5-10 minutes. 38. Reduce speed to low. 39. Gradually, add the butter, one or two tablespoons at a time, beating well. 40. The buttercream will look lumpy or curdled when half of the butter has been added, but it will smooth out at the end. 41. Add the hazelnut liqueur. 42. ASSEMBLE TH CAKE: 43. Cut cake crosswise into 4 equal pieces, about 11x4". 44. Cut a piece of cardboard into a 11x4" rectangle. Cover the cardboard with foil; place one of the cake pieces on the cardboard rectangle. 45. Spread half the chocolate ganache over the cake. 46. Top with the second cake layer and spread with 1 cup buttercream filling. 47. Repeat layering and spread with the remaining buttercream over the top and sides of the cake. 48. Lift up the cake on the rectangle base, supporting the bottom of the cake in one hand. (It makes it easier to frost when there is more than one person). 49. Using the other hand press the finely chopped hazelnuts on sides of cake. 50. Garnish with chocolate-dipped hazelnuts. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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