Chocolate Hazelnut Soccer Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups plus 5 tsp ground hazelnuts
4 medium eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup Nutella
10 1/2 oz marzipan
None None Flour, for dusting
3 1/2 oz milk chocolate

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 325\u00b0F. Grease and line an 8-inch spring-form pan. Heat a skillet, without oil. Add the nuts and cook, tossing, for 2-3 mins until toasted. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
Beat the egg whites and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form, adding the salt and sugar gradually as you whisk. Continue to whisk until glossy, stiff peaks form.
Stir in the egg yolks one at a time. Fold in the ground nuts and baking powder. Spoon into the prepared pan. Level the surface and bake for 40 mins. Remove from the oven, leave to cool in the pan for 10 mins. Remove from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Cut the cake in half horizontally. Sandwich together the two halves with 1/4 of the Nutella. Use the remainder to coat the cake. Roll out the marzipan on a lightly floured surface. Using a 3-inch hexagon cutter, stamp out nine hexagon shapes.
Gently press six shapes around the top of the cake, leaving a single hexagon chocolate shape in the middle. Halve the remaining hexagon shapes and use to decorate the sides.
Melt the milk chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Spoon some of the chocolate into the chocolate hexagon 'holes'. Fill a piping bag with the remaining chocolate. Cut a small hole in the end of the piping bag. Use to pipe along the seams in the marzipan. Set aside for at least 1 hour to set before serving.