Minted Chocolate Torte Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with foil; grease bottoms only of foil-lined pans. In large bowl, beat brownie mix, water, oil and eggs 50 strokes with spoon until dry particles are moistened. Spread batter evenly in pans.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 15 minutes. Use foil to lift brownie layers from pans; place on cooling racks. Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled. Place layers in freezer 1 to 2 hours for easier handling.
• Meanwhile, line 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with foil. Scoop and press ice cream evenly into pans, leveling tops. Freeze until firm.
• In 1-quart saucepan, heat half-and-half and 30 of the chocolate candies over low heat, stirring constantly, until candies are melted and sauce is smooth. Remove foil from brownie and ice cream layers. Place 1 brownie layer on serving plate; top with 1 ice cream layer. Repeat with remaining brownie and ice cream layers, ending with brownie layer. Spoon sauce over torte. Freeze at least 2 hours.
• Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving. Cut remaining 8 candies in half diagonally; arrange candies on top outer edge of torte.

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:

• 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.