Hungarian Chocolate-Walnut Torte

This incredibly rich cake can be made for Passover. Make the icing without butter, and it's pareve. I'm not printing the calories. Trust me, you don't want to know. If you want a smaller dessert, 1/3 of the recipe fills a 6" springform pan, although it won't rise as high. (Bake for only 20-25 minutes.) And I cannot stress enough the importance of using a springform, and lining it with waxed paper as the recipe directs. This sucker won't come out, even from a non-stick pan sprayed with pan spray or greased.

This recipe is from the LA Times.

Torte

3/4 C sugar
1/2 C water
*6 oz semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
6 eggs, separated
*6 oz shelled walnuts
3 Tb matzo cake meal or flour
Walnut halves for garnish

1. Bring 1/2 C sugar and water to a boil in heavy-bottomed 2- or 3-qt saucepan, stirring over medium heat. Boil and stir until all sugar has dissolved into a simple syrup. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.

2. Beat yolks in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Grind walnuts with remaining sugar and matzo meal in food processor. Use pulse setting so it becomes walnut flour, and not a paste. Stir into egg yolks. Add cooled chocolate mixture and combine thoroughly.

3. Using clean beaters, beat egg whites in another bowl until they hold stiff peaks, but are not dry. Fold whites into chocolate-walnut mixture, incorporating them gently so that no whites are visible. Pour batter into 9" springform pan lined with wax paper. Bake in lower third of oven at 350º until puffed and almost set but still a little gooey in the center, 35-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted 1" from center should come out clean.

4. Cool on rack 1 hr 30 min. When completely cool, run a thin-bladed knife around edges of cake to release it from pan before popping the spring; invert onto serving platter. Peel off wax paper.


Chocolate Icing

6 Tb butter or margarine
*6 oz semisweet chocolate, cut in small pieces
2 Tb water

1. Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. When half is melted, gradually whisk in chocolate, stirring well as it melts. After chocolate has been added, stir in water and beat well until glaze is smooth. Cool 5 minutes to thicken slightly.

2. Using a spatula, spread glaze over top and sides of cake. Garnish with walnut halves. Refrigerate about 1 hr to set the glaze, but bring cake to room temperature before serving.

Difficulty rating  :-0