Swiss chocolate torte

recipe

Swiss chocolate torte

No comments

This prettily piped and decorated chocolate cake has soured cream in the cake batter, an ingredient that is often used in Swiss, German and Austrian cakes to add moistness. If you would like to intensify the orange flavour of the cake, substitute tiny pieces of candied orange for the crystallised violets in the decoration. Can be made day before and kept in refrigerator

Ingredients

120g/4 oz plain chocolate, broken into pieces
2 eggs, separated
300g/10 oz caster sugar
120g/4 oz butter, softened
340g / 11 1/2 oz self-raising flour
125ml/4 fl oz soured cream
2 tablespoons orange-flower water for culinary use
175g/6 oz plain chocolate flavour cake covering
Chocolate cream
300ml / 1/2 pint double or whipping cream
Crystallised violets to decorate

Serves: 10

Directions

More recipes like this

Grease and flour 20cm/8inch springform cake tin.
In small non-stick saucepan over very low heat, heat pieces of chocolate, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat.
In medium bowl, with electric mixer on full speed, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4
In large bowl, using electric mixer, beat egg yolks, /oz sugar and butter until light and fluffy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.
Add melted chocolate, flour, soured cream, orange-flower water, and l/fl oz water; beat until well mixed, constantly scraping bowl. Beat for a further minutes, occasionally scraping bowl.
With rubber spatula or wire whisk, gently fold beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture.
Spoon mixture into tin, spreading evenly. Bake for minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched with finger. Cool cake in tin on wire rack for minutes.
With palette knife, loosen cake from edge of tin; carefully remove side of tin, leaving cake on tin base. Cool completely on wire rack.
. Meanwhile, break chocolate flavour cake covering into pieces; place in small bowl over saucepan of gently simmering water. Heat chocolate flavour cake covering gently, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth; use to make Chocolate Curls (see below).
. Prepare chocolate cream.
. Remove cake from tin base. With serrated knife, cut cake horizontally into layers. Place cake layer on cake plate; spread with one-third of the chocolate cream. Top with second cake layer.
. Spread remaining chocolate cream over top and side of cake. Carefully press chocolate curls on to side of cake.
. In small bowl, whip double or whipping cream with remaining sugar until stuff peaks form. Spoon whipped cream into piping bag with large star tube; use to pipe border and lattice design on top of cake. Decorate with crystallised violets.
Chocolate curls
In a foil-lined x m/ x inch loaf tin, pour melted chocolate flavour cake covering. Cool, then refrigerate until set, about hours. Unmould the chocolate block by removing chocolate block from tin; carefully peel off foil.