Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a pan with baking paper.

Make the cake: Transfer all the ingredients for the almond cake in a bowl and mix well with a fork. Pour the mixture onto the pan and spread it with a spatula to form a 10x8 inch ( 25x12 cm) rectangle. Bake for 17-20 minutes.

Caramelize the hazelnuts: Put a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium/high heat and pour over the sugar. In the meantime, warm the hazelnuts in the oven for 5 minutes (this will also freshen up their aroma). When the sugar starts to melt, shake gently the saucepan to help the procedure. You can stir it with a wooden spatula, only after most of the sugar is melted. Stir until amber in color. Add the hazelnuts to the caramel and stir gently to cover completely. Transfer the candied hazelnuts to a pan lined with baking paper and let them cool for 3-5 minutes. Be careful because caramel is extra hot!

Make the mousse: Reserve 1 cup of the candied hazelnuts and transfer the rest to a blender. Warm the milk and the cream in a saucepan (or microwaves) until hot to the touch but not boiling, and add them to the blender (you want it warm enough to melt the chocolate, but not hot because it may cause the lid to open). Also add the vanilla, honey, salt, and chopped chocolate and blend until smooth. Let it cool.

Whip the cold cream with the one tablespoon icing sugar in a bowl until soft peaks form. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and fold gently with a spatula (at this stage you can crash some of the reserved candied hazelnuts and add them to the mousse for extra texture).

Assemble the cake: Line the bottom and sides of a 10x4 inch loaf pan with baking paper. Pour half of the chocolate/hazelnut mousse into the pan. Using a sharp knife, cut a strip of almond cake just a little smaller than the dimensions of the loaf pan (you don’t need to be very precise). Place the almond cake strip on top of the mousse and (optionally) brush with some brandy. Pour the rest of the mousse into the pan and top with another strip of almond cake. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.

Make the ganache: In a saucepan over gentle heat (or in the microwaves) melt the chopped chocolate with the cream and the honey. Set aside until cooled but still pourable.

Invert the cake onto a serving plate and peel off the baking paper. Pour the ganache over the cake. Roughly chop the reserved hazelnuts and sprinkle over the ganache.

Eat!