Week 35 - Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte

 Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte

Week 35 of 52

Dessert #5

    This Summer I traveled to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the first time. My oldest, friend, moved there after retiring, so I stayed with her, while another good friend was there to celebrate her 40th birthday. Being able to travel to help one friend celebrate her birthday, and to see another, was pretty awesome.  We all live in different parts of the country and I don't get to see either of them very, often. A bonus was that two of my best friends got to meet each other for the first time. 

    One of the fun things we did together, was visit The Mob Museum - National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement. That was a fun museum to visit. It was fun and educational. For an additional cost, you can add on one of three experiences to your tour and I can't remember off-hand, what they all are, but the one I did was the "Speak Easy Experience". You have to be 21 or older for that add-on experience. You learn about Prohibition in this "experience" and get to sample moonshines that the museum makes, sells and enters into competitions. You also have the opportunity to enjoy their Underground bar/speak-easy and to purchase keepsake bottles of moonshine. I bought the tiniest jar of moonshine they had, although I hadn't actually finished any of my samples (there were two 100 proof and one 90 proof samples and I just couldn't do it). Anyhow, I digress. In the museum's gift shop, I bought a copy of Henry Hill and Priscilla Davis' The Wiseguy Cookbook. The recipe are Henry Hill's favorites from his life as a "GoodFella" and on the run. The movie "GoodFellas" was based on Henry's life. This delicious Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte is the first recipe I've made from this book. It was not difficult to make and it turned out good. I liked the walnuts and the hint of orange from the zest. You should try it! If you do, let me know what you think. My notes in italics.

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened and more for greasing pan

3/4 cup flour and 1/8 cup for pan

10 ounces semi or bittersweet chocolate (1 3/4 cups) (I used a combination of dark chocolate chips and chocolate bar)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

7 eggs, separated (You'll use both the yolks and the whites)

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon orange zest (I used a little less than a tablespoon, because I'd gotten one orange and it's zest did not quite fill up a tablespoon)

1/4 - 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

whipped cream (optional)

shaved chocolate (optional for decoration)

fresh mint leaves (optional for decoration)

Directions:

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch round cake pan. Cut out a circle of waxed paper or parchment paper and place in the bottom of the pan. Butter the paper and then lightly coat the bottom and sides with flour, shaking/tapping the pan upside down, to remove excess flour. Melt your chocolate (If you're using a chocolate bar, break it into smaller pieces)  in a double boiler, or small bowl over water. Myself, I actually just melted the chocolate in a pan, on the lowest setting, on my stove; stirring to ensure that it melted evenly and did not burn. Cool the melted chocolate to room temperature. 

    Mix together your flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in your orange zest and chopped walnuts. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar until a little fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time and beat until they are a pale yellow. Add your cooled chocolate and beat for about a minute, until it is well mixed. Mix in your flour mixture and thoroughly combine. 

    Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the cake batter mixture. Pour into your prepared pan and bake for one hour. Cool to room temperature on the counter (which will take longer) or on a wire rack. Loosen sides, place a plate over the pan, turn it over and tap the bottom of the pan to remove the cake. Turn your plate right side up, and using a small sieve, shake powdered sugar on top of the cake. Shave extra chocolate bar over the confectioner's sugar for an extra little decoration and add fresh mint leaves for decoration. Serve with whipped cream or even a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream.  

Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte

Chocolate Walnut Orange Torte - Side View