Flourless Chocolate Torte #2

This recipe is from Rose Levy Beranbaum's Cake Bible. Some consider Ms Beranbaum to be the authority on cakes, so I decided to trust her torte recipe. Her books are wonderful because they explain the science behind what's going on in your baking.

This Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte is different from the other recipe because the egg yolks and whites are whipped together, therefore the cake doesn't rise as much- it remains down and dense in the pan. It is not cooked very long, and the chill time is key. Here, more than ever, quality chocolate is very important.

I used 3/4 Ghiradelli, and 1/4 Valrhona Chocolate. Valrhona costs $15.00/lb! I don't know if that combination is quality enough, but I sure did try to honor the recipe and stay on budget. I've read that a lot of people favor Scharffen Berger Chocolate.

Preheat to 425 degrees

Ingredients:

1 pound bittersweet chocolate (if using extra bittersweet, add 3 T sugar to the eggs)

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

6 large eggs

8-in springform pan (I used a 9, but didn't adjust baking. Maybe I should have)

Butter pan, wrap outside with aluminum foil if seepage is a concern.

Also prepare a water bath to keep the texture creamy.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, or in a glass bowl set over simmering water. Again, don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Set aside when smooth and melted.

In another glass bowl, heat the beaten eggs over the water until just warm to the touch. Stir constantly to prevent curdling. Remove from heat and beat with the whisk attachment in stand mixer until it triples in volume, and soft peaks form; about five minutes. (if using a hand mixer, let heat a little longer)

Fold half of the eggs into the chocolate, then fold in the other half, mixing until just blending, taking care not to deflate the eggs. Pour into prepared pan, and bake in a larger pan so it is surrounded by 1 in of water.

Bake for 5 min at 425, then loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely (the cake will be loose, but that's okay.) When cool, refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.

To unmold, wipe the sides with a hot, damp towel, and run a thin utensil around the edges of the tort. Release the springform, then wipe the bottom of the pan with the hot, damp towel. Invert on a plate, then reinvert on the serving plate.

You can store this up to 2 weeks in the fridge, but don't freeze, as it changes the texture.

Serve at room temp; it is amazing with raspberries.

My only complaint is that when chilled, some of the butter separated from the cake in the little crack lines, which is not very attractive.

This recipe is good, but I think I will go on to try others.

Flourless Chocolate Torte #1

When the man asked me for a chocolate torte, I said "Sure" without a second thought, nevermind I'd never made one before. Fortunately, I decided I had to try out some recipes before I delivered the final product. This is recipe number one, from Williams-Sonoma.

Ingredients:

15 oz Bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped. (I used semisweet, and wasn't entirely pleased with the results.)

2 1/4 sticks butter, cut into small pieces

7 egg yolks

9 T sugar

1.5 T dark rum or espresso (I used rum)

1.5 t vanilla extract

pinch of salt

5 egg whites, room temp

raspberries, for serving

Preheat oven to 300. Grease a cake pan or springform, and dust with sugar or cocoa powder

Melt butter and chocolate in double boiler. Stir often. (See my make-shift double boiler below. Apparently, the water isn't supposed to touch the bottom of the bowl when melting chocolate). Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, beat together egg yolks, 6 T sugar, rum, vanilla and salt on medium high speed using a hand or stand mixer. Beat until very thick and pale, 3-5 minutes. Gradually pour in the chocolate mixture and beat until well blended.

In a large, clean bowl, beat egg whites using hand or stand mixer. (It's important that there is no oil or grease or yolk in the bowl, because if there is, the whites won't whip up to full capacity). Whip for about a minute, then gradually add the remaining 3 T of sugar and continue to mix until stiff peaks form; about 2 minutes.

Scoop half of the egg whites into the chocolate, and stir until combined. Then stir in the second half, trying not to lose too much air from the egg whites. Fold just until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake at 300 until the center is moist, but not liquid, about 40 minutes.

Let cool on a rack for half an hour,then remove from pan. Let chill for at least four hours.

Now, this is what the bottom of my torte looked like, because it puffed up really big while baking, then settled down into cracks and cracks. I actually thought this looked nice, but wouldn't sell at the restaurant so I turned it upside-down and added ganache on top.

If I made this again, I would run a knife around the edges when it came out of the oven so that it could settle without cracking quite so much. I would also serve it at room temp, right side up and I would use better chocolate.