Giotto – Nut Cake

Ingredients for 12 servings:

• 3 eggs
• 175 g sugar
• 3 packets of vanilla sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 50 g flour
• 50 g cornstarch
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 100 g hazelnuts, ground
• 6 sheets of gelatin
• 1 can/n peach(s)
• 250 g mascarpone
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 lemon(s), untreated, peel
• 4 packs of confectionery (10 Giotto pieces each)
• 50 g hazelnuts (flakes)
• 400 g whipped cream

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 6 hours; Total time approx. 6 hours 30 minutes

Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites with 3 tablespoons of water until stiff, then add 100g sugar, 1 sachet of vanilla sugar, and salt. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Mix the flour, starch, and baking powder, sift them together, and carefully fold in the ground hazelnuts. Grease and flour the bottom of a springform pan. Pour in the sponge mixture and smooth it out. Bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for 25 minutes. Let cool and cut in half. Place a cake ring around the bottom layer. Soak the gelatine. Drain the peaches and puree all but two halves. Mix together the mascarpone, remaining sugar, lemon juice, and zest. Stir in the puree. Squeeze out the gelatine, dissolve it, mix it with the cream, and spread it evenly on the cake base. Press 30 Giotto biscuits into the cream. Cover with the second layer and chill for 5 hours. Toast the hazelnut flakes. Cut the peach halves into wedges. Whip the cream with vanilla sugar until stiff. Cover the entire cake with cream. Press hazelnut flakes onto the edges. Finally, decorate the cake with the peach slices and the remaining Giotto biscuits.