Chocolate Plum Walnut Torte Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter a 10-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with waxed or parchment paper. Flour the sides of the pan with matzo cake meal.
• In the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), whip the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until very light and fluffy. Fold in the hot chocolate mixture. In a small bowl, mix the matzo meal and ground walnuts. Fold into the chocolate-egg mixture. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until firm and dry on the top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean (a few crumbs are OK), about 35 to 40 minutes.
• Let cool 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a serving plate and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting: In the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, whisk the egg whites and sugar together until the mixture is very hot and the sugar has dissolved somewhat. Remove from the heat and whip the mixture in a mixer (or using a hand mixer) until cooled, smooth, and fluffy. Add the butter and whip until smooth; the mixture might look broken at this point, but keep whipping and it will smooth out.
• Drizzle in the melted chocolate and coffee, and whip until smooth and fluffy. Using a flexible spatula, frost the chilled cake on the top and sides.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter a 10-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with waxed or parchment paper. Flour the sides of the pan with matzo cake meal.
• In the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring frequently. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), whip the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until very light and fluffy. Fold in the hot chocolate mixture.
• In a small bowl, mix the matzo meal and ground walnuts. Fold into the chocolate-egg mixture. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until firm and dry on the top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean (a few crumbs are OK), about 35 to 40 minutes.
• Let cool 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a rack and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a serving plate and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the frosting: In the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, whisk the egg whites and sugar together until the mixture is very hot and the sugar has dissolved somewhat. Remove from the heat and whip the mixture in a mixer (or using a hand mixer) until cooled, smooth, and fluffy. Add the butter and whip until smooth; the mixture might look broken at this point, but keep whipping and it will smooth out.
• Drizzle in the melted chocolate and coffee, and whip until smooth and fluffy. Using a flexible spatula, frost the chilled cake on the top and sides.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before serving.

Steps:

• For Cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Line bottom with parchment; butter paper. Dust pan with flour. Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water. Remove from over water. Add butter 1 piece at a time, mixing until melted and smooth. Mix in sugar. Mix in eggs 1 at a time. Add flour, then walnuts and stir to combine. Transfer batter to prepared cake pan. Bake just until springy to touch, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes. Turn out onto rack, remove paper and cool completely.
• For Glaze:
• Bring whipping cream, slivovitz and light corn syrup to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Add semisweet chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Let glaze stand until cool but still pourable, whisking occasionally.
• Place cake on serving platter. Slide waxed paper under edges. Spread jam over top. Pour glaze over top and sides of cake. Smooth top and sides with spatula. Sprinkle walnuts in 1-inch border around top edge. Let stand until glaze sets. (Torte can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Steps:

• Heat over to 350°F. Place cooking parchment paper or waxed paper in bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, mix walnuts, crushed cookies, brown sugar and butter until crumbly. Spread about 3/4 cup mixture in each pan; reserve remaining mixture.
• In large bowl, beat all cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour about 1 1/4 cups batter over topping in each pan; refrigerate remaining batter.
• Bake about 20 minutes or until tops spring back when touched lightly. Immediately remove from pans to cooling rack; peel off paper. Repeat with remaining topping mixture and batter. Cool completely.
• In chilled large bowl, beat whipping cream, granulated sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Place 1 cake layer, walnut side up, on serving plate; spread with about 3/4 cup of the filling. Repeat with remaining layers and filling.
• Or place whipped cream for top layer in decorating bag fitted with star tip number 6. Pipe rosettes in center of cake; garnish with chocolate leaves. To make chocolate leaves, wash and dry leaves. In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening over low heat, stirring constantly. Using small brush, brush chocolate about 1/8 inch thick over backs of leaves. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until firm. Peel off leaves, handling as little as possible. Cover and refrigerate torte about 4 hours or until chilled. Store in refrigerator.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Beat the egg yolks with half cup of the sugar until well blended, about 2 minutes at high speed in an electric mixer. Beat in the chocolate and fold in half the nuts. Set aside.
• Beat the egg whites with the salt until very softly peaked, then gradually beat in the remaining sugar and continue beating until the egg whites hold firm peaks but are not dry.
• Stir a little of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in about half the remaining egg whites. Finally fold in the remaining nuts and the rest of the egg whites.
• Spoon the mixture into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Place in the oven and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Remove the cake from the oven and turn upside down on a rack or suspend, upside down, over the neck of a bottle, until completely cooled. Use a knife with a thin, stiff blade to loosen the cake from the pan by running the knife carefully and closely along the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving plate.