Chocolate Chiffon Torte Recipes

CHOCOLATE CHIFFON CAKE

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients and preheat the oven to 340ºF (170ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). You will also need an 8" (20 cm) chiffon cake pan. If you have a different size pan, please read this post to adjust the ingredients.
• In a bowl, combine cake flour (80 g, ⅔ cup), baking powder (5 g, 1 ¼ tsp), and Dutch-processed cocoa powder (40 g, ½ cup) and mix well with a fork/whisk.
• Separate 5 large eggs to yolks and whites. Keep the egg whites in a stand mixer bowl and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl.
• Refrigerate (or freeze) the bowl with egg whites for 15 minutes so both bowls and egg whites are cold (it's okay if the egg whites are partially frozen). In Japan, we chill the egg whites to make smooth, fine-textured meringue and do not use cream of tartar.
• Beat the egg yolks.
• Add granulated sugar (65 g, ⅓ cup). Whisk vigorously until it's a creamy pale yellow color.
• Add the oil (60 ml, ¼ cup) and beat to combine with the whisk.
• Add the milk (90 ml, ⅓ cup +1 ½ Tbsp) and vanilla (5 ml, 1 tsp) and combine well.
• Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift half of the dry ingredients. Whisk well to combine.
• Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix well until just combined and no lumps (do not overmix).
• Take out the bowl of egg whites and set your stand mixer with a whisk attachment.
• Start whipping the egg whites on medium speed (level 5) until the egg whites are bubbly, opaque, and foamy.
• Gradually add granulated sugar (65 g, ⅓ cup) in small increments while whisking. Once you add all the sugar, change to a higher speed (level 8) and beat vigorously until stiff peaks form.
• To check on stiff peaks, pull up your whisk and see if the egg whites go straight up and just the tip is soft enough that it folds over, like taking a bow. This is a stiff peak stage. By this time, the meringue should have a glossy texture. TIP: I usually pause beating when the egg whites are getting close to the stiff peak stage. Take out the whisk attachment from the mixer and hand-mix the egg whites till homogenous in texture. Typically, the egg whites near the edge of the bowl are looser (not close to stiff peaks) compared to the center of the bowl. Then put the whisk back and continue beating till stiff peaks.
• Using a whisk, take ¼ of the meringue from the bowl and add to the batter. Whisk well to combine until homogenous.
• Take a third (⅓) of the meringue left in the bowl and this time, gently fold in without deflating the air bubbles in the meringue and batter.
• Take another third and repeat the process.
• Take the final third and gently fold in. Make sure to thoroughly mix without deflating the air bubbles.
• The consistency should look like this when you lift the whisk. Switch to the spatula and fold in one last time, scraping from the side and bottom of the bowl, making sure there is no chocolate accumulation.
• From 6-8 inch high, pour the batter into the ungreased 20-cm (8-inch) chiffon cake pan at the same location to prevent more bubbles from forming. Gently tap the cake pan on the working surface to release the air pockets in the batter.
• Run a wooden skewer through the batter to release air pockets. Put the cake pan in the middle rack of the oven and bake at 340ºF (170ºC) for 35-40 minutes (40 minutes for my oven).
• When it's done baking, insert the wooden skewer in the middle of the cake to see if it comes out clean (If wet, bake longer) and the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed. If the top gets burn too quickly (maybe heat source is too close), cover the top loosely with aluminum foil.
• Remove the cake pan from the oven and gently drop the pan onto the working surface to shock the cake so it stops shrinking.
• Prepare a bottle with a long neck and invert the cake pan to let cool completely in its cake pan so that it stretches downward.
• Once the cake is completely cool, run offset spatulas around both inner and outer edges of the cake (I use a large/long spatula for outside and bottom and a small spatula for around the inner tube). I used to use a knife, but the tip of the knife tends to poke the cake while moving around, so I stopped using it.
• Gently remove the cake from the pan and run the offset spatula on the bottom of the cake.
• Invert the cake onto a plate or cake stand. Chiffon cake is served "upside-down", the flat bottom side being on top.

CHOCOLATE CHIFFON CAKE

Steps:

• Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a bowl, combine cocoa and water until smooth; cool for 20 minutes. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, oil and vanilla; add to dry ingredients along with the cocoa mixture. Beat until well blended. In another large bowl and with clean beaters, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold into egg yolk mixture. , Gently spoon batter into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through the batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake on lowest rack at 325° for 60-65 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely. Run a knife around sides and center tube of pan. Invert cake onto a serving plate., For icing, melt butter in a saucepan. Remove from the heat; stir in the confectioners' sugar, chocolate, vanilla and water. Drizzle over cake. Sprinkle with nuts if desired.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom and side of a 9-inch springform pan. Combine the chocolate and 1 1/2 sticks butter in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) and stir until melted and combined. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and let cool slightly.
• Combine the eggs, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and thick, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Gently fold half of the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until just combined, then gently fold in the rest. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the top is no longer shiny and barely jiggles and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few crumbs, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely in the pan. Remove the springform ring and transfer to a platter; dust with cocoa powder.

CHOCOLATE & COCONUT CREAM TORTE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix wafer crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom and 2 in. up sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan., Place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; let stand 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth. Pour over prepared crust. Refrigerate 1 hour., In a large saucepan, combine coconut milk, coconut and sugar; bring just to a boil. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, reserving strained coconut; return coconut milk mixture to saucepan. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth; stir into coconut milk mixture. Return to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat., In a small bowl, whisk egg and egg yolk. Whisk a small amount of hot mixture into egg mixture; return all to pan, whisking constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from heat., In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle gelatin over remaining cold water; let stand 1 minute. Microwave on high for 30-40 seconds. Stir and let stand until gelatin is completely dissolved, 1 minute. Whisk gelatin mixture into coconut milk mixture. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour, whisking every 15 minutes., In a large bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form; fold into coconut milk mixture. Spoon reserved strained coconut into prepared crust. Spread filling over coconut. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight before serving., Remove rim from pan. Top with toasted coconut.,

PASSOVER CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottom of a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan with parchment paper.
• Break up or chop the chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl with the butter or margarine. Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and allow the chocolate and butter to melt, stirring occasionally. When everything has melted, remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• In the meantime, put the egg yolks in a large bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, whip the egg whites to very firm peaks, about 5 minutes.
• When the melted chocolate mixture has cooled, add it to the egg yolks, along with the sugar, and whisk well.
• Using a rubber spatula, stir about one-third or less of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Carefully spoon another third of the egg whites on top of the chocolate mixture and gently fold them in. Add the remaining whites and fold them in just until incorporated.
• Transfer half of the batter to another bowl and set aside in the refrigerator.
• Pour the remaining batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes: it will turn into a soft, moist cake. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan.
• When the cake has reached room temperature, pour the reserved chocolate mousse on top of it. Refrigerate the mousse cake, uncovered, for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until set.
• When you're ready to serve, run a sharp thin-bladed knife around the cake's edges and then remove the sides of the springform pan. Peel the paper from the bottom, and place the cake on a serving platter. Serve cold, decorated with chocolate shavings, if desired.
• Leftover cake will keep in the refrigerator, wrapped in aluminum foil, for a couple of days.

DARK & SQUIDGY CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line the base and sides of a 23cm springform or loose-bottomed cake tin. Put the butter and chocolate into a pan and gently melt together until smooth. Meanwhile, using an electric whisk, beat the eggs and sugar together for 5 mins until billowy and about the thickness of old-fashioned custard.
• Pour the chocolate and butter mix into the whisked egg and sugar, then fold it in very carefully using a large metal spoon. Mix the flour, almonds and ¼ tsp salt together, then fold into the mix until even. Spoon into the tin and bake for 35-40 mins until evenly set with a slight crust all over the top. Leave the cake to cool until warm, then release from the tin. Dust with cocoa, then cut into wedges.