All-American Chocolate Torte
By norsegal8
To my taste, there is no more appealing presentation than an elegant torte glazed with a shiny coating of dark or white chocolate. (Especially if one suspects that there is more chocolate whitin.)
This richly chocolate butter cake is 1 3/4 inches high -- just right for a torte. It is easy to serve and, with a single long-stemmed red rose on top, fancy enough for a black tie dinner party.
- 8
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2/3 cup boiling water
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon sifted cake flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then grease the paper and flour the entire pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
In another bowl, lightly combine the eggs, 1/4 of the cocoa mixture and the vanilla.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds to blend. Add the butter and the remaining cocoa mixture. Mix on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 minutes to aerate and develop the cake's structure. Scrape down the sides. Gradually add the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition to incorporate the ingredients and strengthen the structure. Scrape down the sides.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. The pan will be about 1/2 full. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a tester inserted near the center comes out clean and cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. The cake should start to shrink from the sides of the pan only after removal from the oven.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides with a small metal spatula, invert onto a greased wire rack and cool completely before wrapping airtight.