Kato's Chocolate Hazelnut Delight Torte

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 (18 ounce) box dark chocolate cake mix
• 1/2 cup chocolate, bittersweet, grated
• 1 tablespoon espresso, fine grind
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 4 cups icing sugar
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee, dissolved in
• 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup hazelnut-flavored liqueur, frangelica
• 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, sliced
• 1/8 cup hazelnuts, ground

Recipe

• 1 cake - preheat oven.
• 2 grease and flour two round 9" cake pans.
• 3 mix cake as directed on back of package.
• 4 gently add the grated bittersweet chocolate and the ground espresso to the prepared cake mixture, then pour into pans and bake.
• 5 cool cakes completely on wire racks.
• 6 slice each cake layer into two even layers.
• 7 buttercream icing - beat the butter until it is light and fluffy, then add the icing sugar slowly, until well blended.
• 8 divide the buttercream icing into four bowls equally.
• 9 in #1 bowl add the melted chocolate to the icing, in #2 bowl add the coffee liquid to the icing and in #3 & #4 bowls add 1 tbsp vanilla to both bowls of icing.
• 10 to assemble the cake, place first cake layer.
• 11 on plate.
• 12 sprinkle cake with 2 tbsps of frangelica and spread chocolate buttercream onto cake.
• 13 top cake with second cake layer, sprinkle cake with 2 tbsps of frangelica and spread.
• 14 vanilla buttercream onto cake.
• 15 top cake with third cake layer, sprinkle cake with 2 tbsps of frangelica and spread coffee buttercream onto cake.
• 16 top cake with fourth cake layer, sprinkle cake with remaining frangelica and spread vanilla butter cream onto top and sides of cake.
• 17 press the sliced hazelnuts into the sides of the cake and garnish the top with the ground hazelnuts.
• 18 chill cake in fridge for several hours.
• 19 one hour before serving remove cake from fridge and allow to slowly come to room temperature.