CHOCOLATE PECAN TORTE: National Pecan Torte Day

Today is National Pecan Torte Day.  I've posted many chocolate pecan pie recipes, but a torte is not a pie. Here's a definition from Wiki:

A torte is a cake made primarily with eggs, sugar, and ground nuts instead of flour. Variations may include bread crumbs as well as some flour. Tortes are Central European in origin. The word torte is derived from the German word Torte, which was derived from the Italian word torta, which was used to describe a round cake or bread.

Tortes are commonly baked in a Springform pan. An element common to most tortes is sweet icing. (Exceptions include several French tortes, such as Gâteau Mercédès and Gâteau Alcazar.) When the cake is layered, a thick covering of icing is placed between the layers, and there is almost always icing on the tops and sides of the torte. A number of European tortes do not have layers.

Following are two recipes for Chocolate Pecan Torte. The FIRST is easier and lots of fun to make! There are lots of shortcuts. The SECOND is fabulous but much more involved. They're both very tasty! As always, a lot depends on the quality of your ingredients.

1. Chocolate Pecan Torte 
from Epicurean.com This recipe is easy and delicious. O.K. it's not traditional, but its great!

Ingredients:
No-stick flour and oil baking spray
1 prepared 8 or 9 inch pecan pie, thawed if frozen
1 box (about 1 pound 4 ounces) fudge brownie mix, makes a 9-by-13-inch pan
1/4 cup brewed coffee or water
2 tablespoons bourbon or other whiskey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, large or extra-large

Directions:
Heat oven to 325F. Spray interior of 9-inch springform pan with baking spray.
Cover surface of pie with plastic wrap and top with plate. Invert pie onto plate, and remove pie tin. Invert prepared springform pan over pie and then invert whole, so that  pie slides into pan. Remove plate and, using the plastic wrap to keep your hands clean, smash pie so it fills bottom of pan.
Mix brownie mix, coffee, bourbon, oil, and eggs in medium mixing bowl until smooth and texture of wet mud. Pour over pie and smooth top. Bake until sides are firm and top is crusty but center is still soft, about 50 minutes. Cool until pan is comfortable to touch; remove sides of pan and cool completely. Cut into wedges to serve.

***

This SECOND recipe won the $1000 1985 Woman's Day "Yummiest Chocolate Recipe Contest." I've changed it slightly, adding more chocolate and an apricot jam filling. This torte is more traditional and reminds me of a Viennese Torte. You can substitute raspberry or peach jam.

2. Chocolate Pecan Torte

Chocolate Pecan Torte:
12 ounces dark  chocolate (65-70% cacao)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 1/4 cup pecans
3/4 cup softened unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
5 eggs, separated
1/3 cup sifted flour
2 Tbsp dark rum
2 tsp pure vanilla

Apricot Filling:
1/3 cup apricot jam
1 Tbsp orange liqueur
2 Tbsp dark rum
2 tsp lemon juice

Chocolate Glaze:
6 ounces dark chocolate (65-70% cacao)
2 Tbsp heavy cream
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Decoration:
1/2 cup pecan halves
1 Tbsp sweet butter
1 Tbsp Apricot Filling

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Butter 9" springform pan and dust with cocoa, shaking out excess. Set aside.
In top of double boiler, over hot water, melt the two chocolates together. Stir until smooth, and completely combined. Remove from heat, and allow chocolate to cool slightly.
Using food processor, grind pecans fine with about 1/2 cup of the sugar. Add butter and remaining sugar, creaming together well. Beat in egg yolks, rum, and vanilla extract. Add flour and process with the rest. Add melted and cooled chocolate, and process again. It's quite dense.
Whip egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Mix about 1/3 of beaten egg whites into thick chocolate batter, then fold chocolate mixture into remaining whites, folding thoroughly.
Spread chocolate batter into prepared springform pan, and bake in preheated 325 degrees oven for 30 minutes or more, until toothpick inserted in center comes slightly moist.
Remove torte from oven, and allow to cool and settle in pan.
Take off springform, and transfer torte to its serving dish.

Sieve apricot jam into small saucepan. Add orange liqueur, rum, and lemon juice. Bring to boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer a moment, then remove pan. Reserve 1 tablespoon of finished glaze for pecan trim, and spread rest over torte. Allow apricot filling to set, then top with chocolate glaze.

In top of double boiler, over hot water, melt chocolate and cream together. Remove from heat, and stir in butter, whisking till smooth. Allow glaze to cool until it will spread smoothly over torte. Use metal spatula to smooth it evenly over top, and coat sides with thinner layer.

In small sauce pan, combine apricot glaze, and butter. Melt them together. Add pecan halves, and stir until all are coated. Drain nuts, and allow to set slightly, then press around edge of torte.

SPUMONI DAY: History & Recipe for Spumoni Bundt Cake!

Today is National Spumoni Day! Spumoni, not to be confused with zamboni, is a multicolored Italian dessert. When I was growing up, it was usually a flavorless ice cream served in Italian restaurants at the end of a meal. It wasn't until I visited Italian friends that I had really good Spumoni.

By definition, Spumoni is a special Italian dessert made of layers of ice cream, whipped cream, candied fruit, and nuts. Each layer contains different flavors and ingredients. In traditional dessert kitchens, spumoni is often made of three layers of flavor: chocolate, pistachio, and cherry. Each layer of Spumoni ice cream may include more than flavored ice cream. The chocolate layer, for example, may include chocolate shavings or chunks. Sometimes the chocolate layer has crushed hazelnuts inside. Not only does the hazelnut add a lovely flavor to the chocolate, but it also compliments the pistachio layer. The pistachio layer, of course, almost always includes crushed pistachio nuts. Finally, the fruit layer of spumoni is usually made with candied fruit. The cherry layer is the most traditional fruit component to the dessert.

 

Edy's and Dreyer's make Spumoni ice-cream available all year round. Yum!

You can make your own spumoni ice cream today, but if you can't find any and you don't want to make your own, you can always make Spumoni Cake. 

The trick to making beautiful Spumoni Cake is to have layers! This can be done by baking different layers or just layering a bundt cake in the bundt pan (no swirling).

Because this is such a special holiday, I'm posting an easy Spumoni Bundt Cake recipe and linking several others for those of you who are more adventurous or have more time!

Easy Spumoni Bundt Cake
Recipe on the Duncan Hines Baker's Club Forum: Source: Our Favorite Recipes St. John Neumann Catholic Church-recipe: Emile Bernard

You can add chopped up maraschino cherries to the Red Layer, chocolate chips, or grated chocolate to the chocolate layer, and crushed or chopped pistachios to the green layer. Also, you can put pistachio pudding in the green layer for flavor!

Ingredients
1 (18.25 oz.) pkg. white or yellow cake mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 (8 oz.) container sour cream
1 (4 serving size) pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (melted)
green coloring drops
marachino cherries
red food coloring
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions
Pre-heat Coven to 350. Grease bundt pan.
Combine cake mix, eggs, oil, sour cream, and pudding mix; beat until well blended.
Divide batter into 3 bowls.
To bowl #1, add and mix in 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 5-6 drops green food coloring, 1/2 tsp. almond extract.
To bowl #2, add and mix in 1 (4 oz.) jar cut up and well drained maraschino cherries, 5-6 drops red food coloring.
To bowl #3, add and mix in 2 (1 oz. each) squares melted unsweetened chocolate.
Pour green batter into pan first, then the red (pink) batter, and over this the chocolate batter. Be sure NOT to swirl or mix batters.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes until cake tests done. Cool in pan for 30 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely.

Here are three more recipes for very different Spumoni Cakes:

Margie Slivnske (San Jose Easy Meals Examiner)  Easy, and my personal favorite.

Bette Ubaldini's Spumoni Cake  This is another easy recipe, and it's delicious.

Celebration Generation  A little more complicated, but worth it.

And here's a recipe for Spumoni Cake from 1960.

Back to School Milky Way Brownies: Vintage Ad & Recipes

I like this Vintage Milky Way Ad. Students don't really dress like this anymore, and they're certainly not wearing heavy fur coats in August. School starts so much earlier these days, but it got me thinking about my own school days. 

My friend Donna always had Milky Way bars in her freezer, and I'd stop by her house on the way to school and have one. Her mother never minded! I love frozen Milky Way Bars. When we were older, Donna and I got a ride to high school with a neighbor. While we waited for him, we availed ourselves of the Milky Way bars on his family's coffee table! Maybe this wasn't particularly healthy, but it was a delicious way to start the day!

Now, I buy miniature Milky Way bars to give out at Halloween. There are always some left over. Here are two recipes for Milky Way Brownies that are for back to school! One's for home (or stuffed in a lunchbox), and the other's for a crowd.


1. EASY MILKY WAY BROWNIES!

Make your favorite Brownie Mix (I like Ghirardelli), following directions by adding the 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 egg, and 1/3 cup water. At 20 minutes into the baking (350F), put about 7 ounces of chopped up miniature Milky Way Bars or Milky Way Bites on top. Bake another 20 minutes. Oh yum! Gooey back to school love!

2. MILKY WAY BROWNIES FOR A CROWD!

This recipe for Milky Way Brownies is the Bees Knees! Love the Vintage Ad above!

Ingredients: 
1 pound unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 pound dark chocolate (70% cacao), chopped
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate (or very dark - 90%), chopped
2 Tbsp instant espresso powder
7 large eggs
2 Tbsp pure vanilla
2 1/4 cups granulated white sugar
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
12 ounces miniature Milky Way bars, chopped
2 Milky Way Bars, sliced

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 12x18x1-inch pan. Line with foil that hangs over sides (butter the parchment). This makes it easier to get brownies out.
In metal bowl or saucepan over saucepan of simmering water, heat butter and chocolate until melted and smooth; cool slightly.
In large bowl, whisk together eggs, espresso powder, vanilla, and sugar. Stir egg mixture into slightly cooled chocolate mixture. Cool to room temperature.
In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt, then add to batter. Stir chopped mini Milky Way bars into chocolate mixture. Then pour into prepared baking pan and smooth top with rubber spatula.
Place slices of full-size Milky Way Bar on top of brownie batter.
Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not overbake!
Let cool completely, then cover tightly and chill overnight. These are very gooey, so be sure to chill if you want to cut them!

(Almost) Instant 3-Ingredient Vanilla Soft Serve: Soft Serve Day

If you know me, you know I'm a huge fan of Beyond Good Chocolate Company. I admire their company and how they work to make the world better! 

I always have a Beyond Good Madagascar 70% chocolate bar in my desk. But Beyond Good also has great quality vanilla products.  

Our mission is to change the way the world experiences chocolate and vanilla. It’s a world with too many middlemen who walk away with too much of the profit. A world where beans are stripped of their natural taste and farmers are treated like photo-ops. A world where people have been blinded to the beauty of what real chocolate and vanilla can be. We’re bringing that world to an end. 

By sourcing the best quality vanilla and cocoa in the world, directly from the farmers who grow it. By pioneering a business model that has the power to change the food industry, forever. And by inviting you to enjoy something that doesn’t just taste better, it feels better. This is chocolate, and vanilla, made right.

So for today's Soft Serve Holiday aka Soft Ice Cream Day, here's a recipe from Beyond Good for (Almost) Instant 3-Ingredient Vanilla Soft Serve. Enjoy!

(Almost) Instant 3- Ingredient Vanilla Soft Serve

Ingredients 

2 cups (500ml) whipping cream 

½ cup + 3 tbsp (100g) powdered sugar 

1 tsp Beyond Good Pure Ground Vanilla

Directions

In a ziplock bag, combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla powder. 

Seal the bag well and shake to combine. 

Press out all the air and lay the bag flat on a baking sheet. Freeze until firm. 

Break the ice cream up into chunks and place it in a blender or food processor. 

Process until the ice cream reaches a soft-serve consistency. 

Serve immediately or transfer the ice cream to a freezer-proof container and freeze until firm.

OF course you can add chocolate sauce, if you'd like!

How easy is that?