Walnut Mocha Torte Recipe Recipe 445

Steps:

• 1 Separate the eggs, into yolks and whites (see How to Separate Eggs). Take care to make sure there are no pieces of shell or egg yolk in the whites, and that the bowl you are using to contain them is completely clean with no residue of fat. Any fat from yolks or oil will make it difficult to beat the egg whites. 2 Prepare two 9-inch cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper or wax paper. Lightly butter the sides of the pans (not the paper). 3 Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Mix together the ground walnuts and the bread crumbs in a small bowl and set aside. 4 Place the egg yolks into a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Slowly add 3/4 cup of white sugar and continue to beat the egg yolks until thick and pale. (I use a hand mixer for this.) 5 Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment until foamy. Slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup of white sugar, and beat until soft peaks form. 6 With a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture, alternately with the walnut mixture. 7 Spoon the batter into the prepared, parchment-layered cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350°F (175°C) until a slight imprint remains when touched. 8 While the cake is cooking prepare the mocha frosting base. Place 1/2 cup of white sugar and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into a saucepan. Turn the heat onto medium and gradually stir in the coffee and the chocolate chips. Stir continuously until the mixture starts to simmer and thicken quite substantially. Continue to stir while the mixture simmers for 1 minute. Then remove from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract until well blended. Let cool completely. (You will incorporate this mocha base into whipped cream when you frost the cake.) 9 Remove the cakes from oven and cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Run a dull knife around the edges of the cakes to separate it from the sides of the pans. Carefully invert the cakes onto a rack. Carefully peel back and discard the parchment or wax paper. Let cool completely. Note that if you want to make ahead, you can cook the cakes first, let cool to room temp, wrap with plastic wrap, and freeze until you are ready to frost and serve. 10 Complete the frosting. Whip the cream until it is rather thick, just before that point to which if you kept on whipping it would turn to butter. This will help it hold up as a frosting. Once whipped, fold the whipped cream and mocha base together. It may be a little speckled, and if you fold it only lightly, you can have almost a marbling effect of light and dark with the frosting, if you wish. Place one cake on a serving platter. Frost the top. Place the second cake on top of it, and frost the top and sides of the cake. Serve immediately, or keep chilled until serving.

Steps:

• 1. TORTE:
• 2. In a medium bowl, stir together nuts, flour, and baking powder.
• 3. In a blender or food processor, combine eggs and sugar; cover and blend or process unil smooth. Add nut mixture. Cover and blend or process until smooth.
• 4. Spread batter evenly in two greased and lightly floured 8-inch round cake pans.
• 5. Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until cakes spring back when lightly touched. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool on wire racks.
• 6. Spread Mocha Frosting on each layer; stack layers. Loosely cover and chill frosted cake for 2 to 24 hours. If desired, top with chocolate curls.
• 7. MOCHA FROSTING:
• 8. In a chilled small mixing bowl, dissolve 1 tsp. instant coffee crystals, crushed, in 1 cup whipping cream; beat with chilled beaters of an electric mixer on low speed until slightly thickened. Add 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, and vanilla. Beat just until stiff peaks form.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 2 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease parchment., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, espresso powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition., Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove parchment. Cool completely., For frosting, in a large bowl, beat butter and Nutella until blended. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to reach desired consistency., Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup frosting. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup hazelnuts. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides with remaining frosting. Sprinkle with remaining hazelnuts.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Place 5 chocolate squares, 1/2 cup each corn syrup and butter and 2 Tbsp. coffee granules in large microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugar; mix well. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and nuts.
• Spread into greased and floured 9-inch round cake pan.
• Bake 40 to 45 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (Do not overbake.) Cool in pan 10 min. Invert cake onto wire rack; carefully remove pan. Cool cake completely.
• Place remaining chocolate and 1 Tbsp. butter in small microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1-1/2 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add 2 Tbsp. corn syrup and 1 tsp. coffee granules; stir until well blended. Place cake on serving plate. Spread glaze evenly over top and side of cake. Let stand 1 hour or until glaze is set.

Steps:

• Make cake layers:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan and line bottom with wax or parchment paper. Butter paper.
• Pulse walnuts in a food processor until finely chopped (do not allow to become a paste) and stir together with flour in a bowl.
• Beat together butter and 1/3 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Stir in nut mixture by hand.
• Beat egg whites with salt with cleaned beaters in another bowl at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat at high speed until whites just hold stiff peaks. Stir one fourth of whites into batter to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
• Spread batter evenly in baking pan, smoothing top. Bake in middle of oven until center is set and top is pale golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack. Cover cake with an inverted baking sheet, then invert cake onto it and remove paper.
• Reinvert cake onto a cutting board. Trim about 1/4 inch from each side of cake with a sharp knife, then cut cake crosswise into 4 equal rectangles (each about 9 by 3 1/2 inches). Line baking sheet with wax or parchment paper and transfer cake to baking sheet, arranging layers side by side, touching.
• Make jam filling:
• Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl and let stand 1 minute to soften. Heat strained preserves in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until warm, then add gelatin mixture and stir until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and set in a larger bowl of ice water. Cool, stirring occasionally, until cold, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Spread jam evenly over cake layers and chill until set, about 1 hour.
• Assemble cake:
• Reserve the nicest-looking cake layer for top. Put 1 cake layer, jam side up, on a cake platter and spread with 1/3 cup buttercream. Top with second cake layer, jam side up, and spread with 1/3 cup buttercream. Top with third layer, jam side up, and spread with 1/3 cup buttercream. Top with reserved cake layer, jam side up. Frost sides of cake with about 1 cup buttercream. Transfer remaining buttercream to pastry bag and pipe a decorative border around top edge of cake.