for 12 pieces

Light sponge mixture

90 g	sugar
1 tsp	vanilla sugar
3	fresh egg yolks
3 tbsp	water
90 g	white flour

Japonais base

3	fresh egg whites
1 pinch	salt
70 g	sugar
80 g	ground hazelnuts

Syrup

1 dl	water
4 tbsp	sugar
2 dl	kirsch

Buttercream

300 g	butter, soft
180 g	icing sugar
3 tbsp	kirsch
a little	red food colouring

Assembling the torte.

50 g	flaked almonds
a little	icing sugar

How it's done

Light sponge mixture

Using the whisk on a hand mixer, beat the sugar, vanilla sugar, egg yolk and water for approx. 5 mins. until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sieve in the flour, carefully fold in with a rubber spatula, transfer to prepared tin.

Bake

Approx. 20 mins. in the lower half of an oven preheated to 180°C. Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, remove the tin frame, tip the sponge out onto a cooling rack, remove the baking paper and leave to cool completely.

Japonais base

Using the edge of the spring form, draw 2 circles (each approx. 24 cm Ø) on 2 pieces of baking paper. Turn the baking paper over and place each piece on a baking tray.

Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff. Add the sugar little by little and continue beating until the egg whites turn glossy. Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold in the nuts. Place the mixture in a piping bag, pipe spirals onto the circles and smooth with a spatula.

Bake

Approx. 1 hr. in an oven preheated to 120°C (convection). Turn the Japonais base out carefully onto a rack, remove the papers immediately, cool.

Syrup

Bring the water and sugar to the boil, cool and add the kirsch.

Buttercream

Place the butter in a bowl, add the icing sugar, kirsch and food dye, beat using the whisk on a hand mixer until the mixture becomes smooth, divide into quarters.

Assembling the torte.

Place 1 Japonais base on a platter and cover with a quarter of the buttercream. Top with sponge, drizzle with syrup. Top with ¼ of the cream. 2. Place the Japonais bases on top, press down gently. Coat with remaining buttercream, decorate edge with almond slivers, cool for approx. 15 mins. Dust torte with icing sugar, make diamond-shaped incisions with a hot knife blade on the upper surface.

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