Holiday Walnut Torte Recipes

WALNUT TORTE

Steps:

• Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Line three greased 9-in. round baking pans with waxed paper; grease the paper and set aside. , In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until slightly thickened. Gradually add sugar, beating until thick and pale yellow. Beat in the water, zests and vanilla. Combine the walnuts, bread crumbs, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and salt; add to batter. Beat until smooth., In another bowl and with clean beaters, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Fold a fourth of egg whites into the batter, then fold in remaining whites., Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Carefully peel off waxed paper. , For frosting, in a large bowl, cream shortening and butter. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in sugar. Add milk; beat until light and fluffy. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Garnish with toasted walnuts.

HUNGARIAN WALNUT TORTE

Steps:

• Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar for 10 minutes or until light lemon-colored. Beat in vanilla. Combine cake flour and baking powder; add to egg mixture alternately with water, beating well. Fold in walnuts., In another bowl and with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. Fold a fourth of the egg whites into batter; fold in remaining whites. , Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., In a small saucepan, whisk the milk and pudding mix. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Pour into a bowl; press a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap over pudding. Refrigerate for 30 minutes., In a bowl, cream the butter, shortening and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and cooled pudding. Split each cake into two layers. Place one bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with about 3/4 cup filling. Repeat layers. Garnish with chocolate curls if desired.

WALNUT BLITZ TORTE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in milk until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolk; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cover and refrigerate., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with milk and mix well. Spread into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans; set aside., In a small bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar, a tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Fold in 1 cup nuts. Spread meringue evenly over batter. Sprinkle with remaining nuts. , Bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes or until meringue is browned and crisp. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes (meringue will crack)., Carefully run a knife around edge of pans to loosen. Remove to wire racks; cool with meringue side up. To assemble, place one cake with meringue side up on a serving plate; carefully spread with custard. Top with remaining cake. Refrigerate until serving.

WALNUT TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400. Mix together walnuts and three-fourths cup sugar. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold in walnut mixture. Divide into three round eight- or nine-inch cake tins that have been well buttered and floured. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until delicately browned. Cool in tins.
• Mix egg yolks, coffee and one-half cup sugar and heat over low flame, stirring briskly until thick and creamy. (Do not boil.) Cool.
• Stir chopped walnuts and remaining one tablespoon sugar over low heat until browned. Add to coffee and egg mixture. Spread filling between layers.
• Sprinkle top with confectioners' sugar.

HUNGARIAN CHOCOLATE-WALNUT TORTE

Steps:

• Have all ingredients at room temperature.
• Line the bottom of an 8-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan with parchment or wax paper.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a heavy-bottomed 2-or 3-quart saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly over medium heat. Continue boiling and stirring until all the grains of sugar have completely dissolved and the mixture forms a simple syrup. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with an electric mixer until light and thickened, about 4 minutes. Grind the walnuts with the remaining sugar and the matzoh meal in a food processor using the pulse motion and stir into the egg yolks. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and combine thoroughly.
• Using clean beaters, beat the egg whites in another bowl until they hold stiff peaks. Gradually fold the whites into the chocolate-walnut mixture, incorporating them gently but thoroughly so that no whites are visible. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until puffed and almost set but still a little gooey in the center. A wooden toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edge should come out clean.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let cool on a rack. When completely cool, unmold the cake by running a thin-bladed knife around the edges of the cake to release it from the pan (or release the springform); invert onto a platter. Peel off the parchment paper. Serve the torte at room temperature.
• If desired, lightly dust with Passover confectioners' sugar. For a lovely, simple presentation, place a doily or a stencil-handmade by you or, even better, your children-over the torte, then sprinkle with the sugar. Carefully remove the doily or stencil.
• Or glaze with the chocolate icing. Lay long strips of wax paper or foil on a cake plate or serving platter and place the cake on top. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Using a spatula, evenly spread the glaze over the top and sides. Now, pull out and discard the paper strips or foil strips--the plate will be clean and ready for serving. If you'd like, garnish with a few walnut halves attractively placed in the center of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for about an hour to set the glaze, but bring it to room temperature before serving.
• The plain or frosted torte is heavenly with generous dollops of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
• Passover Confectioners’ Sugar:
• In a blender, mini-food processor, or clean coffee grinder, whirl 1 cup minus 1/2 tablespoon regular granulated sugar until it is powdery. Place in a small bowl and stir in 1/2 teaspoon potato starch. Sift before using. (Recently commercial Passover confectioners' sugar, made without cornstarch, has appeared in some stores with large kosher-for-Passover sections. If available, by all means use it here.)
• Chocolate Icing:
• Melt the butter or margarine slowly in a heavy saucepan over very low heat. When half is melted, gradually whisk in the chocolate, stirring well as it melts. After all the chocolate has been added, stir in 2 tablespoons water and beat well until the glaze is completely smooth. Let the mixture cool about 5 minutes to thicken slightly.

WALNUT-DATE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Generously grease a 9- by 2-inch round cake pan with softened butter or vegetable oil and dust with some matzo meal, knocking out excess.
• Pour hot water over dates in a large bowl and let stand 15 minutes to soften.
• Pulse walnuts in a food processor until chopped, then add 1/4 cup sugar and pulse until nuts are finely ground. Add matzo meal (2/3 cup), zest, cardamom, and salt and pulse until combined.
• Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt in a bowl using an electric mixer at medium-high speed until they just hold soft peaks. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a slow stream, beating until whites hold stiff glossy peaks.
• Whisk yolks into date mixture. Fold one third of yolk mixture into whites, then fold in remaining yolk mixture gently but thoroughly. Fold all of nut mixture into batter.
• Spoon batter into cake pan and bake until golden and springy to the touch and cake just begins to pull away from side of pan, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then invert onto rack and cool completely.

AUSTRIAN WALNUT TORTE WITH COFFEE WHIPPED CREAM

Steps:

• Butter 3 Nine inch round cake pan and line the bottom of each one with a round of buttered parchment paper.
• Dust the pans with flour and shake out any excess.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of granulated sugar until the mixture is doubled in volume and forms a ribbon when the beaters are lifted (about 5 minutes).
• In a food processor or blender, pulse the walnuts with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar until ground fine.
• Add the walnuts, the bread crumbs, the coffee and the rum to the yolks and fold gently.
• In another bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg white just to stiff peaks.
• Gently and gradually fold the whites into the yolk mixture.
• Divide the batter among the three cake pans, spreading it evenly and giving each cake pan a good thump against the counter to make sure there are no air bubbles.
• Bake the layers 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sides pull away from the pans and the tops spring back when pressed gently.
• Cool in pans on racks for ten minutes.
• Run a sharp knife round the sides of the layers and carefully invert the layers onto the racks.
• Remove and discard parchment paper and allow layers to cool completely.
• Make the Coffee Whipped Cream:.
• In a large, chilled bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons of the cold heavy cream and the instant coffee until coffee is dissolved.
• Add remaining cream and confectioner's sugar and beat until cream forms stiff peaks.
• This will provide enough whipped cream to fill the two layers and to garnish the top.
• You can place the cream for the top in a pastry bag and decorate the top with rosettes.
• Garnish with the toasted walnut halves.

CHOCOLATE-WALNUT TORTE

Steps:

• Heat over to 350°F. Place cooking parchment paper or waxed paper in bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans. In medium bowl, mix walnuts, crushed cookies, brown sugar and butter until crumbly. Spread about 3/4 cup mixture in each pan; reserve remaining mixture.
• In large bowl, beat all cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour about 1 1/4 cups batter over topping in each pan; refrigerate remaining batter.
• Bake about 20 minutes or until tops spring back when touched lightly. Immediately remove from pans to cooling rack; peel off paper. Repeat with remaining topping mixture and batter. Cool completely.
• In chilled large bowl, beat whipping cream, granulated sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Place 1 cake layer, walnut side up, on serving plate; spread with about 3/4 cup of the filling. Repeat with remaining layers and filling.
• Or place whipped cream for top layer in decorating bag fitted with star tip number 6. Pipe rosettes in center of cake; garnish with chocolate leaves. To make chocolate leaves, wash and dry leaves. In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate chips and shortening over low heat, stirring constantly. Using small brush, brush chocolate about 1/8 inch thick over backs of leaves. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until firm. Peel off leaves, handling as little as possible. Cover and refrigerate torte about 4 hours or until chilled. Store in refrigerator.

WALNUT RASPBERRY TORTE

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In another large bowl, cream the shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Stir in walnuts and coconut., Add cream of tarter to egg whites; beat with clean beaters until stiff peaks form. Fold a fourth of egg whites into the batter, then fold in remaining whites., Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 24-28 minutes or top springs back lightly when touched. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., Spread raspberry preserves over the top of two cake layers. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. , Place one raspberry-topped cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with some of the frosting. Repeat with second raspberry-topped cake layer. Top with plain cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over the top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with nuts. Store in the refrigerator.