MOCHA HAZELNUT TORTE

MOCHA HAZELNUT TORTE
5 ounces hazelnuts
2 tablespoons low carb bake mix *
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
4 eggs
3/4 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
Mocha Frosting

Grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper or wax paper; grease paper. Finely grind the nuts and bake mix in food processor. Combine with the baking powder in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and Splenda on high speed until pale yellow and foamy. Add the nut mixture and beat well. Pour evenly into the prepared pans. Bake at 350?for 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Cool 10 minutes in pans on rack. Invert to remove from the pans and peel off the paper. Cool completely. Put one layer on a plate. Prepare the Mocha Frosting. Spread the bottom layer with about 1/4-1/3 of the frosting. Add the second layer; frost the top and sides. Store in the refrigerator or freeze.

* I have made this without the bake mix and it still works

Mocha Frosting:
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
1/3 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup cocoa, sifted

Dissolve the instant coffee and Splenda in the heavy cream. Beat with a wire whisk until it just starts to thicken. Add the cocoa. Whisk until thick. It should get very thick almost immediately after adding the cocoa.

Makes 8 servings
Can be frozen

With granular Splenda:
Per 1/8 Recipe: 219 Calories; 19g Fat; 7g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per 1/8 Recipe: 206 Calories; 19g Fat; 7g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

This is a low carb version of an old favorite recipe. For some reason, the cake layers didn't raise much and were a little tough. I wonder if it's because I used liquid Splenda instead of granular. It still tastes good, but the layers have a tendency to slide around when you cut into the torte with a fork. I tasted a piece right after frosting it, so there is a chance that the cake might soften up a bit on chilling.

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