Tree Shaped Brownie Torte Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, letting foil hang 2 inches over ends of pan. Grease bottom and sides of foil with shortening or cooking spray. Make brownie batter as directed on box for cakelike brownies. Spread in pan. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from side of pan comes out almost clean. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat 1/4 cup whipping cream over low heat until hot but not boiling; remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips until melted. Let stand at room temperature about 1 hour or until slightly thickened.
• In medium bowl, beat 2/3 cup whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form; set aside. In medium bowl, beat remaining Peppermint Cream ingredients on low speed until blended; beat on medium speed until smooth. Gently stir whipped cream into cream cheese mixture; refrigerate until ready to use.
• Using foil to lift, remove brownies from pan, and peel foil away. Cut brownies crosswise to make 3 equal rectangles. Trim sides if desired.
• To assemble torte, place 1 brownie rectangle on serving platter; spread with 3/4 cup of the Peppermint Cream. Top with second brownie rectangle; spread with Chocolate Ganache. Top with third brownie rectangle; spread with remaining Peppermint Cream. Refrigerate uncovered until serving.
• Meanwhile, place a piece of cooking parchment or waxed paper on cookie sheet. Draw 1 1/2- to 2-inch tree outlines or trace around 2-inch tree-shaped cookie cutter, leaving 1/2 inch space between each tree. Center toothpick at bottom of and 1/2 inch into each tree outline. In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1 cup chocolate chips and the shortening over low heat, stirring constantly, until chips are melted. Pour chocolate into decorating bag fitted with plain tip or resealable plastic bag; snip one corner. Starting at top of each tree outline, pipe chocolate over tree and end of toothpick within tree; fill center with random, squiggly lines. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens. Gently remove trees from paper; refrigerate until serving.
• Just before serving, sprinkle torte with candies and arrange Chocolate Trees on top. Store covered in refrigerator.

Steps:

• Butter and flour a 9 inch round cake pan.
• In a pan over low heat, melt 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup light corn syrup.
• Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips until melted.
• Remove from heat and add sugar and eggs, and stir until blended.
• Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla , flour, and nuts.
• Pour into pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until center springs back when touched.
• Cool in pan 10 minutes. Then place on a cooling rack.
• To Make Glaze: Combine chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter or margarine and corn syrup in pan. Stir over low heat till chocolate chips are melted. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.
• Frost tops and sides of torte. Chill until set. Garnish with sliced strawberries.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with parchment., In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and butter; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Stir in chocolate mixture. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to chocolate mixture, mixing well. Fold in walnuts., Transfer to prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15-20 minutes (do not overbake). Cool 10 minutes. Invert onto a flat surface dusted with confectioners' sugar. Gently peel off paper. Cool completely., In a bowl, beat cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold in chocolate chips. Trim cake edges; cut crosswise into fourths. Place 1 layer on a serving plate; top with 3/4 cup frosting. Repeat twice. Top with remaining layer. Frost top, sides and ends of cake. If desired, sprinkle with additional chocolate chips. Store in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• For the brownies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of two 8-inch round cake pans. Cut two 8-inch circles out of parchment and line the bottoms of the cake pans with the parchment.
• Stir together the butter, granulated sugar, vanilla and eggs in a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and divide the batter between the prepared pans, smoothing the tops. Bake until the brownies begin to gain a crust around the edges, pull away from the edge and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Let the brownies cool fully in the pans on cooling racks, about 1 hour. Cut each circle into 8 equal triangles with a knife. Use a small offset spatula or pie server to lift each triangle out of the pan.
• For the American buttercream frosting: Combine the confectioners' sugar, butter and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a handheld electric mixer). Mix on low speed until mostly incorporated. Add the vanilla, increase the speed to medium-high and mix until smooth. Loosen the consistency with milk as desired. Add 24 drops green food coloring and 1 drop red food coloring and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Set aside.
• To assemble: Using the tip of a paring knife or a skewer, poke a small hole along the bottom edge of each brownie. Insert a candy cane "trunk" into each hole.
• Fill the piping bag with the frosting and cut 1/4 inch off the tip. Using a zig-zag motion, pipe the frosting from the base to the tip of each tree. Decorate the trees with the sanding sugars and candy-covered chocolate, as desired.