Gluten-Free Chocolate-and-Hazelnut Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Grease 2 x 15cm x 7cm baking tins, then line with baking paper.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a glass bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, taking care not to overheat it. 
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and egg yolks until pale and fluffy. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, mixing until well incorporated. 
4. Sift in the cocoa and add the ground hazelnuts, then mix to incorporate. 
5. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Mix a ¼ of the whisked egg whites into the chocolate mixture and then gently fold in the rest. 
6. Pour the mixture into the baking tins and bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool in the tins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 
7. To make peanut butter icing, cream the peanut butter and icing sugar using an electric hand-mixer until slightly lighter in colour. Add the cream and mix through. Chill the mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes, then place in a large piping bag.
8. Sandwich together the 2 cakes with the icing, then ice the top. And then sandwich together the macaron halves with the icing and use to decorate the cake.

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