Mistakes Were Made

I couldn’t find my recipe (computer files are no better than a file cabinet if you’re an impatient person who throws something in a bin instead of figuring out exactly where it belongs), so I tried to recreate it from memory. In the first attempt I used too much walnut meal. In the second, my cake rose unevenly so it was hard to cut off a neat top. So I reduced the amount of walnut yet again and added a teaspoon of baking powder—it’s not a large amount and won’t be noticeable in taste, but it helps stabilize the batter. Finally I increased the chestnut flour to one cup; 3/4 is probably enough, too, but one cup made the cake  easy to handle and even. This may seem like a lot of steps for a cake, but the advantage to having different components is that you can taste and correct each part as you go. And the result was worth it.

Coffee Cream Walnut Torte with Raspberries (serves 8-10)

Cake Base:

8 ounces walnuts. Finely grind in a food processor with 1 cup chestnut flour and 1 tsp baking powder. You could use all purpose or a gluten free blend or corn starch. Chestnut flour (which is also gluten free) is naturally sweet, so if you use something else you might want to increase the sugar a bit. The flour or starch keeps the walnuts from clumping together by absorbing some of their oil.

8 eggs, separated

1/2 cup sugar, divided

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cream of tartar

2 drops  lemon or orange oil, optional

8-9” springform pan, bottom lined with parchment paper and the whole sprayed with Baker’s Joy (or buttered and floured).

Filling:

14 ounces heavy whipping cream

Up to 3 Tbs. instant espresso, instant coffee, or Dandy Blend (made from beet, chicory and dandelion)—taste as you add. If you want a lighter coffee flavor, use less.

3 Tbs. powdered sugar or stevia to taste

2 pints fresh raspberries (frozen will work, too)

2 Tbs. raspberry liqueur or syrup (optional)

Ganache glaze:

Melt (gently) 14 ounces of good quality dark chocolate (for this cake, I recommend between 45% and 55 % cocoa content) with 16 ounces heavy cream and add 2 Tbs. corn syrup (optional, for shine). Any leftover can be frozen. One fool proof way to make ganache is to finely chop the chocolate in a food processor, then pour in almost boiling heavy cream through the tube and process until smooth. Let the ganache cool to room temperature before covering the cake.

Make the cake:

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form, then beat in half the sugar until stiff (but not dry). Dump into a very large bowl.

In the mixer bowl, beat the egg yolks with half the sugar and salt (and optional flavoring) until thick and lemon-colored.

Gently fold together the egg mixtures in batches, alternately with the ground nut mixture, in three batches, in the large bowl. A sifter or sieve will help distribute the nut mixture evenly. Take care to deflate the eggs as little as possible.

Spoon into prepared pan and bake until the cake begins to shrink from side of pan, about 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a pick comes out clean from the center. The batter will rise up as it bakes and then sink a bit once it’s taken out. Let cool for about ten minutes, loosen the spring form, and cool further on a rack. Unmold the cake, use a cookie sheet or flat plate to turn it upside down and finish cooling it on the rack. Peel off the paper from the bottom.

Once the cake is cool, with a sharp and serrated knife, cut off about one inch off the top of the cake and set aside. You could use something flat and strong, like an extra large spatula or a pizza peel to keep from tearing the top as you lift, but if it does tear, don’t worry, the chocolate glaze will cover flaws.

With a small sharp knife, and/or a serrated grapefruit spoon, cut around the inside of the cake, leaving 1 inch walls and a 1 inch bottom. You want the cake to hold its shape with a sturdy frame. Scoop the crumb-center into a bowl, and crumble into pieces, pea-sized or smaller.

Whip the cream until soft peaks form, then whip in the powdered sugar or stevia and instant coffee, until stiff. Gently mix the flavored whipped cream with the cake crumbs and pat back into the cake shell. Top with raspberries and drizzle with the optional raspberry syrup or liqueur. Replace lid on cake and cover the cake with ganache glaze. (I use a small angled spatula to spread the glaze.)

Refrigerate—the cake will last at least four or five days, especially if made with fresh raspberries. Don’t be afraid to take it out of the refrigerator a few hours before serving.