50, the youth of old age

Daddy turned 50 today. Yet, he's still young at heart! More of the bestest friend than a daddy to me, I <3 him sososo much ^^ I decided to do smth special for him, and surprise him when he got back from work in the wee hours of the morning. I baked him a cake, low in sugar, perfect for him. He really was stunned when he opened the door to a whiff of freshly baked goodness and "Happy birthday to you.......". My mom and i received one of the tightest bear hugs, and  henceforth indulged in the cake. It was truly amazing, thus i'm gonna share this recipe with you;


FLOURLESS HAZELNUT TORTE, with cream cheese icing
> 3 eggs, separated
> 1/2 cup sugar(I replaced this with 1/2 c gula melaka)
> 1/2 cup finely chopped hazelnuts, toasted
> 3/8 cup dry bread crumbs
> 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
> 1/8 teaspoon salt
> handful of chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Icing

> ~1/2 cup cream cheese
> 4 tbsp sugar (I used fructose)
> ~3/4 cup whipping cream

> Additional hazelnuts, halved, optional


Directions

In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar(/gula melaka) until light lemon-colored. Stir in the chopped hazelnuts, bread crumbs and lemon juice.

In another bowl, beat egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form(Recommended: use an electric beater for this unless you're really strong and can whisk really fast, like me); fold into hazelnut mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon into a pan(I used a heart-shaped pan, which is approximately half the size of a 9-in pan) Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

In the mean time, whisk the sugar into the cream cheese till well-blended. Stir in enough whipping cream to form the mixture into a smooth paste. Set aside 1/2 the mixture and add more whipping to this mixture till it becomes more runny(less viscous). *Tip: Add whipping cream little by little.

Cut cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; top with 1/2 of the cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining layer and mixture. Garnish with halved hazelnuts if desired. Yield: 10-12 servings.

**double the ingredients will be fit for a 9-in. pan