Marzipan Torte Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8 inch pan (springform - removable bottom recommended).
• In a large bowl, mix butter, sugar and almond paste until light and fluffy (may want to use beaters).
• Add eggs, kirsh and almond extract and beat well.
• Add remaining ingredients and beat thoroughly.
• Pour in pan and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
• Dust cake with powdered sugar and garnish with berries or berry sauce.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Grease a 9-inch pie dish with butter. Add 1 tablespoon flour and coat the dish, shaking out any excess flour.
• Mix the almond paste and sugar on low speed in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix until well incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each one has been fully incorporated before adding the next. Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour and mix just until combined. Pour into the prepared pie dish and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Invert the cake onto a wire rack and let cool completely.
• Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until just until scalding, about 3 minutes. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Let the ganache cool slightly so it is spreadable. Evenly frost the top of the cake with the ganache. Sprinkle the outer edges with the sliced almonds and decorate with the raspberries. Serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• Place almonds in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Slip the almonds out of their skins one by one, leaving the remaining almonds in the warm water. Drain almonds in a colander.
• Place almonds and confectioners' sugar in the food processor fitted with a metal blade and process to a paste. Add cold water, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon at a time, if the paste is too dry. Scrape the sides a few times to ensure even processing. Add a few drops of almond extract towards the end of the process. Process marzipan until it is smooth and no longer grainy. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in a cool, dry place.

Steps:

• Make the genoise: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray, line each with parchment, then spray parchment. Combine cake flour, almond flour, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Whisk eggs, yolks, and granulated sugar in a mixer bowl set over a pot of simmering water until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Attach bowl to mixer, and whisk on medium speed for 2 minutes. Raise speed to high, and whisk until mixture is pale and thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Sift flour mixture over egg mixture, and gently fold. When almost incorporated, slowly add melted butter, and fold.
• Divide batter between baking sheets, spread evenly, and bake until golden brown and springy to the touch, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool. Run a knife around edges of pans, and invert onto a clean surface; discard parchment. Using an 8-by-3-inch cake ring, cut out 4 circles. Choose the 3 thickest cake circles, and reserve the fourth for another use.
• Make the pastry cream: Bring milk, vanilla seeds, salt, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar to combine. When milk begins to boil, remove from heat. Slowly ladle half the milk into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour mixture into saucepan, place over medium heat, and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture has thickened, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, and whisk in cold butter. Strain into a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface, and let cool. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
• Make the simple syrup: Bring granulated sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and stir in Armagnac if using. Let cool.
• To assemble the cake: Place the cake ring on a 9-inch cardboard circle. Place 1 cake circle in ring, and lightly brush top with syrup. Using a small offset spatula, spread jam on cake layer. Whisk 2 1/2 cups cream until stiff peaks form. Cover jam with 1/2 cup whipped cream. Top with another cake circle, and brush top with syrup. Cover this circle with pastry cream. Place final cake circle on top, pressing down gently, and brush top with syrup. Spoon remaining whipped cream over cake, and smooth. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or preferably overnight).
• Whisk remaining 1/2 cup cream in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Remove cake ring, and coat sides of cake with whipped cream. Refrigerate cake until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Knead a golf-ball-size piece of marzipan with a couple of drops of blue food coloring, adding more drops as needed to reach desired color (this piece should be a few shades darker than the final). Knead half the colored marzipan into remaining marzipan until color is evenly distributed. (Add remaining half if needed to reach desired color.) On a surface dusted with confectioners' sugar, roll out marzipan to a 14-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Place a doily in the center of marzipan. With the rolling pin, slowly but firmly roll over doily to create an imprint. Gently remove doily. Rub confectioners' sugar into marzipan with your fingertips to fill imprint. Place marzipan over cake, smooth sides, and trim bottom edges. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Steps:

• Dough:Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or rub it in with your fingers until small bits remain. Stir in egg, and mix until a dough forms. Fit dough into a buttered 9-inch pie plate using plastic wrap or wet fingers. Spread 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons preserves on bottom of tart shell. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.
• Filling:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together butter, sugar, and extracts with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Spread filling over preserves in tart shell.
• Bake tart until crust is deep golden brown and filling is set, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Spread with remaining 1/4 cup preserves. Tart can be stored at room temperature, tented with foil, up to 1 day. Or, after tart cools, store it at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, then foil, up to 3 days; spread with preserves before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter a 9 1/2-inch springform pan.
• Make crust:
• In a shallow baking pan toast almonds in middle of oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove almonds from oven but leave oven on. Cool almonds completely. In a food processor pulse nuts until finely chopped and transfer to a bowl. Break graham crackers into food processor and finely grind. Stir 1 cup cracker crumbs and sugar into almonds. Melt butter and add to crumb mixture, stirring with a fork until combined well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of springform pan.
• Make filling:
• In a food processor grind together almond paste and sugar until combined well. Add cream cheese and vanilla and blend well. Add eggs 1 at a time, pulsing until just combined after each addition.
• Pour filling into crust and bake in middle of oven 50 minutes. Turn off oven and let cheesecake stand in oven 10 minutes. (Cake will not be set in center but will set as it cools. Don't worry if cheesecake cracks; chocolate topping will cover it.) Cool cheesecake in pan on a rack 1 hour.
• Run a thin knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake but do not remove side of pan. Chill cake, uncovered, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
• Make topping:
• Finely chop chocolate. In a small saucepan bring cream just to a simmer and remove pan from heat. Add chocolate and stir until smooth.
• Carefully pour topping onto cake and spread it up to but not over edge. Chill cake, covered, until chocolate is set, at least 2 hours, and up to 1 day.
• Just before serving, remove side of pan.