HAZELNUT CAKE (NUSSSHAUMTORTE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and sticky. Grind the nuts finely (but not too fine) and toast them lightly.
• Beat the egg whites until stiff and mix with the bread crumbs. Fold in the sugar-egg yolk mixture and the nuts.
• Butter and lightly flour a nine-inch spring-form pan. Pour batter into pan and bake for 30 minutes. The cake is done when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Meanwhile, make the coffee cream. Beat the butter until smooth and add the sugar. Beat until pale. Add the coffee and hazelnuts and mix thoroughly.
• When the cake has cooled, cut it in half lengthwise and spread with the coffee cream.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze. Sieve the powdered sugar into a saucepan and add the egg white and espresso. Warm slightly, stirring constantly, until you have a glaze.
• Glaze the cake. Make the caramelized sugar by dissolving the granulated sugar in the water in a small saucepan over low heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until it turns a rich golden brown. With a pair of metal tongs, dip each nut into the syrup and place it on a piece of wax paper. When the syrup hardens, decorate the cake with the nuts so that there is one hazelnut for each serving.