A torte is a rich cake filled with cream, mousse, jam, or fruit. Hungarian pastry chef József Dobos introduced a multi-layered variation of this confection to royalty in 1884, known as the Dobos torte. It quickly became popular because of its unique, layered appearance and its use of buttercream frosting, which was uncommon at the time. Tortes were brought to America by European immigrants and remain popular today. They are rich and dense and stay fresh longer than a regular layer cake. A torte can substitute finely ground nuts for flour, as is the case in this recipe for flourless chocolate torte. This version yields a single layer torte without frosting.
Recipe Servings: 8
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray, as needed
- All-purpose flour, as needed for dusting pan
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1¾ cups powdered sugar, divided
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs, finely crushed
- ½ cup almonds, finely crushed
- 5 Tbsp unsweetened or dark chocolate, grated
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan.
- Whisk egg yolks in a medium bowl until foamy.
- Gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar.
- Stir in cracker crumbs, crushed almonds, chocolate, baking powder, salt, and vanilla.
- Whisk egg whites in a separate bowl. Then gradually whisk ½ cup powdered sugar into egg whites.
- Gently stir in half of the egg white mixture into chocolate batter. Fold in remainder.
- Pour batter into the pan.
- Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick emerges clean from the center.
- Remove band from the pan and cool on wire rack. Dust cake with remaining powdered sugar before serving.
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