Chocolate Mint Torte Recipe 475

Steps:

• Grease and flour two 9-in. round baking pans; set aside. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream shortening and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla and chocolate. , In a small bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter., Pour into prepared pans. Bake or 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks., In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter over low heat; stir until smooth. Remove from the heat; transfer to a large bowl. Beat in the confectioners' sugar, hot water, vanilla and salt until smooth., Cut each cake into 2 horizontal layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; top with 1/3 cup of filling. Repeat layers 3 times. In a large bowl, gently combine the whipped topping, extracts and, if desired, food coloring. Frost the sides of the cake. Sprinkle top with Mint Andes Candies. Store in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 10-inch x 15-inch jelly roll pan by lining with parchment and spritzing with cooking spray. For the cake batter: In a stand mixer whip the eggs until thick and pale yellow. Gradually beat in the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Fold into the thick egg mixture. In a measuring cup, whisk together the oil and buttermilk. Fold into the chocolate batter until just combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 8 to 12 minutes. The edges will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and the center will spring back when lightly pressed. Remove the cake from the oven and use a knife to loosen the edges. Lift the cake and parchment paper onto a rack to cool. To prepare the mint filling: In a small bowl stir together the sugar and whipped cream stabilizer. In a large bowl, mix the cream, peppermint oil and green food coloring. Whip the cream until it begins to thicken. Sprinkle in the sugar mixture and continue whipping until the mixture is quite thick and mousse-like. To prepare the ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Add the heavy cream and microwave for 60 to 90 seconds, or until the cream is very hot. Whisk together the mixture until the chocolate melts and the ganache is smooth. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes, to cool and thicken. To assemble the cake: Cut the cooled cake crosswise into four even sections, each a scant 4-inch x 10-inches. Spread three of the sections with 1/4th of the cooled, thickened ganache. Reserve the last 1/4th of ganache for serving. Divide the filling into thirds. Spread or pipe 1/3 of the filling onto each ganache-topped cake section. Be sure to leave one cake section unfilled, to place on top. Carefully stack the three filled sections. Place the fourth (unfilled) section on top, pressing down on the whole stack gently. Wrap the whole torte firmly in plastic wrap. Freeze at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days. Remove from the freezer, remove the plastic wrap, and let the cake thaw for about 15 minutes before serving. Reheat the reserved ganache, and pour it over the cake before slicing. Serve cold. Makes 10 to 12 servings. Tips: The whipped cream stabilizer in the recipe can be replaced with 4 teaspoons of Instant ClearJel. For best results, the cream does need to be stabilized, regular whipped cream will not work well for this recipe. 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract can replace the peppermint oil in the recipe. Adjust to taste. Pale pink coloring would also work nicely with the mint flavoring.

Steps:

• Make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon cold water. Add the yolk mixture to the food processor and pulse until it is evenly distributed. The mixture will appear crumbly, but should hold together very easily when pressed. Add a bit more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if necessary. Turn the mixture out onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a disc. Wrap the disc in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a circle 1/4- to 1/8-inch thick. Gently fit the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and trim the top evenly. Repair any cracks or tears in the dough with the trimmings and reserve the trimmings, wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature, to use later if necessary. Freeze for 30 minutes.
• While the shell is chilling, heat oven to 375 degrees. Just before baking, dock the shell all over with a fork, and line the bottom and sides with aluminum foil. Bake the shell until it is cooked through and crisp, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and, using the leftover dough, repair any cracks that may have formed. Cool the shell on a rack while you prepare the rest of the tart.
• Make the white chocolate ganache: Heat the 1 3/4 cups heavy cream and mint leaves in a saucepan over medium-high until simmering. Turn off heat and let cream steep for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Strain the cream through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the leaves to extract as much cream as possible. Reserve 1 cup of the cream, covered, in the refrigerator.
• Heat the remaining 3/4 cup of cream until simmering and pour it over the white chocolate in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk the mixture until smooth, then let it cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. If the chocolate is resisting melting, set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until smooth.
• Add the butter and a pinch of salt and whip the ganache on high speed for 10 minutes. It will go from slightly translucent to opaque and aerated. Taste and add the peppermint extract if desired. Pour the whipped ganache into the cooled tart shell, smooth the top and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Make the bittersweet ganache: Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add the chocolate, butter and salt to a heat-safe bowl and whisk in the hot cream until smooth. If the chocolate is resisting melting, set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk until smooth.
• Use a spatula to spread the bittersweet ganache over the cooled white chocolate ganache. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Just before serving, make the mint cream topping: Whip the reserved 1 cup of infused cream with the confectioners' sugar to soft peaks. Add peppermint extract, if desired. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the ganache and serve the tart cold. Wipe off your knife in between slices for the cleanest cuts.

Steps:

• Combine the butter and chopped cookies and press into the bottom of a springform pan. Refrigerate.
• Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Cool slightly. Mix in the milk until creamy.
• Beat together the powdered sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the chocolate mixture.
• Reserve 1/2 cup of the whipped topping. Fold in the remaining whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Spread onto the refrigerated crust. Place back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• When serving, remove the collar from the pan. Serve with the remaining whipped topping.

Steps:

• Set a roasting pan on lowest rack of oven. Fill pan halfway with water. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Cut parchment paper large enough to cover bottom and to hang over long sides of loaf pan. Place in loaf pan; coat with cooking spray.
• Put chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Heat, stirring, until melted. Remove from heat; let cool slightly.
• Put heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl; set aside.
• Put eggs and sugar in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on medium-high speed until tripled in volume, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently fold half of the chocolate mixture into egg mixture until almost incorporated; fold in remaining chocolate mixture. Fold in reserved whipped cream and the peppermint extract.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Set loaf pan in roasting pan. Bake until chocolate loses its sheen and appears set when loaf pan is jiggled, about 25 minutes.
• Carefully transfer roasting pan to a heatproof surface. Remove loaf pan from water bath; let cool completely on a rack.
• Pulling up on parchment, remove torte from pan; transfer to a baking sheet. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Using an offset spatula, gently loosen torte from parchment and then invert onto a serving platter.
• Using a sieve, lightly dust torte with cocoa. Garnish with fresh and chocolate mint leaves, and whipped cream if desired.