Basic Hazelnut-Chocolate Cream Cake Recipe

Butter and flour a 10 inch springform pan. Melt butter and chocolate chips in a double boiler.

Separate eggs. Beat yolks till thick, slowly add 1/2 cup sugar. Stir in nuts, Frangelico, vanilla, and melted chocolate. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until they form soft peaks. Slowly add 1/2 cup sugar, beat until stiff.

Fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture; fold all the chocolate mixture into the whites.

Pour into springform pan and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Lower heat to 275 degrees, bake 30 minutes.

Turn off heat, let cake stand in oven, door ajar, 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan, place on platter.

Beat cream till soft peaks form. Slowly add powdered sugar and Frangelico. Spread cream evenly over top of cake. Sprinkle with chocolate curls made from the semi-sweet chocolate. Refrigerate 6-8 hours.

Let sit at room temperature 30-40 minutes before serving.