1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup hazelnuts (2 ounces)
1/2 cup walnuts (2 ounces)
1/2 cup almonds (2 ounces)
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, very cold
6 eggs, separated
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, in all
1 tablespoon grated or finely chopped orange zest (1 orange)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

“Neither a meringue nor a cake, this flourless torte has a delicate, almost
feathery texture of its own. The wonderful taste combines chocolate, orange,
and three kinds of nuts. Baked in one pan and cut into wedges, it’s a simple, delicious, not-too-sweet dessert; baked in three thin layers, it’s the base for the Strawberry-White Chocolate Torte.
Nut meal replaces flour in this recipe, so a light texture is essential. The texture
is best if the nuts are grated by hand in a Mouli grater. If you want to use a food processor, grind the nuts with a few tablespoons of the measured granulated
sugar to keep them from becoming a paste.
Use three 8-inch flan rings set on 2 heavy baking sheets (or one 8-inch round
layer cake pan.”

Preheat oven to 325 degrees [F]. Adjust oven rack to the middle position. Brush the flan rings with melted butter and set on [parchment] paper-lined baking sheets; set aside. (Prepare layer cake pans using parchment paper
and melted butter.)
Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast 8-10 minutes, until
brown. Cool. Rub in a clean dish towel to remove skins. Cool. Grind
the walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts in a Mouli grater; set aside.
Readjust oven heat to 300 degrees [F]. Adjust racks to upper and lower positions of oven.
Chop chocolate by hand into pieces about the size of a grain of rice.
There will be about 1/2 cup.
Using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, beat egg yolks with
1/4 cup sugar until the sugar has dissolved and mixture is thick, pale yellow, and forms a ribbon when beater is lifted from the bowl. Toss together the ground nuts, orange zest, baking powder, and chopped chocolate and pour on top of the egg yolks; do not mix in. Set aside.
Beat egg whites on low speed until frothy. Increase speed to medium and beat until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and very gradually beat
in the 3 tablespoons sugar, until stiff, glossy peaks form.
Whisk one third of the beaten egg whites into the bowl of egg yolks to
lighten the texture, then fold in the rest. Divide batter evenly into prepared rings and spread evenly with an offset metal spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for 30 minutes, just until the cake is springy to the touch. Halfway through baking, rotate the trays so that the cake layers bake evenly.
If you are baking the torte in one pan, compensate for the extra thickness
by letting it bake a little longer. The cake will be just springy to the touch when done.
To unmold, run a knife around the rings and remove. Turn paper over and peel it off the backs of the cake layers.
 

 Featured Archive Recipe:
Poppy Seed Chocolate Torte
 

Index - Cake Recipe Archives
Recipe Archives Index