Almond Meringue Chocolate Raspberry Torte Recipes

ALMOND MERINGUE & CHOCOLATE-RASPBERRY TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 150ºC (300ºF). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Draw two 8-in. (20-cm) circles on the first sheet of parchment. On the second sheet, draw a third 8-in. (20-cm) circle. Turn the parchment papers upside-down on the baking sheets; set aside. In a bowl, toss together ground almonds and flour; set aside. In another bowl, beat egg whites and salt with electric mixer on high speed to soft peaks. Gradually add the 1 ½ cups (375 mL) sugar, while beating to stiff peaks. Fold in ground almond mixture and vanilla. Spread one-third of almond meringue batter inside each drawn circle. Sprinkle batter with sliced almonds. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Bake 1 hr. to 1 hr. 15 min. until meringues are crisp and firm. Remove from oven; cool completely on baking sheet set on wire rack. (Note: Meringues can be made a day ahead and stored at room temperature for assembly next day.) Meanwhile, make ganache by placing dark chocolate in large heatproof bowl. Heat 1 cup (250 mL) cream in small saucepan set over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just starting to simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand 2 min. Whisk until smooth and chocolate is melted. Cool completely. (Note: Ganache can be made a day ahead and chilled. Gently warm on low heat in saucepan or microwave until spreadable. Do not boil.) For best results, assemble torte not more than 2 hr. ahead. Use electric mixer on high speed to beat remaining 2 cups (500 mL) cream to stiff peaks. Beat in icing sugar until just combined. Fold in 1 cup (250 mL) raspberries. Set aside. Place first meringue round on serving dish. Spread with ganache. Top with second meringue. Spread half the cream mixture overtop. Cap with third meringue. Melt white chocolate in microwave at 30-sec. intervals on MEDIUM until melted. One at a time, dip bottoms of profiteroles into the melted chocolate. Attach 16 profiteroles around edge of top meringue (or as many as will fit). You will not require all the profiteroles in the package. Mound remaining cream mixture in the centre; garnish with remaining raspberries. Dust with icing sugar. Recipe Tips: Instead of spreading meringue batter on parchment, use a piping bag fitted with large round tip to pipe batter in concentric circles inside drawn circles.

ALMOND MERINGUE & CHOCOLATE-RASPBERRY TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 150ºC (300ºF). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Draw two 8-in. (20-cm) circles on the first sheet of parchment. On the second sheet, draw a third 8-in. (20-cm) circle. Turn the parchment papers upside-down on the baking sheets; set aside.
• In a bowl, toss together ground almonds and flour; set aside. In another bowl, beat egg whites and salt with electric mixer on high speed to soft peaks. Gradually add the 1 ½ cups (375 mL) sugar, while beating to stiff peaks. Fold in ground almond mixture and vanilla.
• Spread one-third of almond meringue batter inside each drawn circle. Sprinkle batter with sliced almonds.
• Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Bake 1 hr. to 1 hr. 15 min. until meringues are crisp and firm. Remove from oven; cool completely on baking sheet set on wire rack. (Note: Meringues can be made a day ahead and stored at room temperature for assembly next day.)
• Meanwhile, make ganache by placing dark chocolate in large heatproof bowl. Heat 1 cup (250 mL) cream in small saucepan set over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just starting to simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand 2 min. Whisk until smooth and chocolate is melted. Cool completely. (Note: Ganache can be made a day ahead and chilled. Gently warm on low heat in saucepan or microwave until spreadable. Do not boil.)
• For best results, assemble torte not more than 2 hr. ahead. Use electric mixer on high speed to beat remaining 2 cups (500 mL) cream to stiff peaks. Beat in icing sugar until just combined. Fold in 1 cup (250 mL) raspberries. Set aside.
• Place first meringue round on serving dish. Spread with ganache. Top with second meringue. Spread half the cream mixture overtop. Cap with third meringue.
• Melt white chocolate in microwave at 30-sec. intervals on MEDIUM until melted. One at a time, dip bottoms of profiteroles into the melted chocolate. Attach 16 profiteroles around edge of top meringue (or as many as will fit). You will not require all the profiteroles in the package.
• Mound remaining cream mixture in the centre; garnish with remaining raspberries. Dust with icing sugar.

BEST CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY TORTE

Steps:

• Line three 9-in. round baking pans with waxed paper; grease and flour the pans and paper. Set aside., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and baking powder; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition., Transfer to 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 to cool completely., For frosting, in a small heavy saucepan, melt chips and butter over low heat. Transfer to a large bowl; cool for 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth., For filling, in a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add the preserves, sugar and liqueur; beat until stiff peaks form., Cut each cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup filling. Top with another cake layer and spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Repeat layers. Top with another cake layer, 1/2 cup filling and remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake., For drizzle, place chips and butter in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Place mixture in a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in a corner of bag. Pipe a lattice design over top of cake, allowing some drizzle to drape down the sides. Decorate with chocolate curls and raspberries as desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

ALMOND AND RASPBERRY TORTE

Steps:

• Butter the cake pan, line the base with waxed or parchment paper, and then butter and flour it. Wash the raspberries, dry them on paper towels, and then snip off the blossom ends and stems. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter until smooth in an electric mixer. Add the sugar and continue to beat until soft and light, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the egg until well mixed, about 1 minute. Stir in the ground almonds by hand, followed by the flour mixture. Expect the batter to be quite stiff. Spread half the batter in the cake pan. Sprinkle the fruit on top and dot with the remaining batter so the fruit is almost covered. Bake until the torte starts to shrink from the sides of the pan and the top is firm when lightly pressed with a fingertip, 45 to 55 minutes. The top will be rustic looking, like a crumble. Let the torte cool for 10 to 15 minutes in the pan, then loosen the sides and slide the torte onto a rack to cool completely. Sprinkle it with confectioners' sugar and serve it warm or at room temperature.

ALMOND MERINGUE & CHOCOLATE-RASPBERRY TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 150ºC (300ºF). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Draw two 8-in. (20-cm) circles on the first sheet of parchment. On the second sheet, draw a third 8-in. (20-cm) circle. Turn the parchment papers upside-down on the baking sheets; set aside.
• In a bowl, toss together ground almonds and flour; set aside. In another bowl, beat egg whites and salt with electric mixer on high speed to soft peaks. Gradually add the 1 ½ cups (375 mL) sugar, while beating to stiff peaks. Fold in ground almond mixture and vanilla.
• Spread one-third of almond meringue batter inside each drawn circle. Sprinkle batter with sliced almonds.
• Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Bake 1 hr. to 1 hr. 15 min. until meringues are crisp and firm. Remove from oven; cool completely on baking sheet set on wire rack. (Note: Meringues can be made a day ahead and stored at room temperature for assembly next day.)
• Meanwhile, make ganache by placing dark chocolate in large heatproof bowl. Heat 1 cup (250 mL) cream in small saucepan set over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just starting to simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand 2 min. Whisk until smooth and chocolate is melted. Cool completely. (Note: Ganache can be made a day ahead and chilled. Gently warm on low heat in saucepan or microwave until spreadable. Do not boil.)
• For best results, assemble torte not more than 2 hr. ahead. Use electric mixer on high speed to beat remaining 2 cups (500 mL) cream to stiff peaks. Beat in icing sugar until just combined. Fold in 1 cup (250 mL) raspberries. Set aside.
• Place first meringue round on serving dish. Spread with ganache. Top with second meringue. Spread half the cream mixture overtop. Cap with third meringue.
• Melt white chocolate in microwave at 30-sec. intervals on MEDIUM until melted. One at a time, dip bottoms of profiteroles into the melted chocolate. Attach 16 profiteroles around edge of top meringue (or as many as will fit). You will not require all the profiteroles in the package.
• Mound remaining cream mixture in the centre; garnish with remaining raspberries. Dust with icing sugar.

MERINGUE TORTE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Pour into 3 parchment-lined 9-in. round baking pans; set aside., In a large bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Add vanilla. Fold in 1/2 cup walnuts. Spread meringue evenly over cake batter; sprinkle with remaining walnuts. , Bake at 325° for 30-35 minutes or until meringue is lightly browned. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes (meringue will crack). Loosen edges of cakes from pans with a knife. Using 2 large spatulas, carefully remove 1 cake to a serving plate, meringue side up. Carefully remove remaining cakes, meringue side up, to wire racks. , In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Gradually add confectioners' sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Carefully spread half the filling over cake on serving plate; top with half the raspberries. Repeat layers. Top with remaining cake. Store in the refrigerator.

RASPBERRY ALMOND TART

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and 1/3 cup sugar; cut in 1/2 cup butter until crumbly. Beat 1 egg; add to flour mixture, tossing with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Press dough evenly onto bottom and up the sides of a 9-in. tart pan with removable bottom. Spread 1/4 cup of jam over dough. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate., Meanwhile, cream remaining butter and sugar until light and fluffy; stir in almonds and extract. Add remaining eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; spoon filling over jam. Place tart pan on a baking sheet., Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until set. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Carefully remove sides from pan. Spread remaining jam on top. Combine confectioners' sugar and lemon juice; drizzle over the top.

ALMOND RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Prepare 2 8 inch cake pan by greasing with butter apply wax paper to pan then butter again.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Beat egg white and cream of tartar using clean, dry and oil free bowl and beaters till soft peaks form set aside.
• Beat egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl tat high speed for 3 minutes. Beat in 3/4 of the can of almond filling and the almond liquor to the yolk mixture. Sift the sifted flour, baking powder and salt together; add to the yolk mixture and beat till just combined.
• Gentle fold in the egg whites thoroughly into the batter.
• Pour into the pans and bake for 20 minutes.
• Cool 5 minutes and remove to a rack removing the wax paper.
• Spread jam equally on the 2 cakes.
• Cool completely.
• Melt 3 ounces of chocolate with 2 tablespoons cream stir to mix in well.
• Spread gently over the raspberry layers.
• Beat whipping cream with chilled clan beaters till stiff peaks form.
• Remove 1 cup whipped cream, adding the remaining almond filling to the 1 cup of cream.
• Place the filling on the chocolate layer and freeze for 20 minutes.
• Place the other layer chocolate side down on to the filling,.
• Spread the remaining whipped cream on the sides and top of cake.
• Coat the sides with the toasted almonds.
• Make Chocolate curls by shaving the remaining chocolate with a vegetable peeler.
• Top cake with curls or raspberries.

ALMOND RASPBERRY TORTE

Steps:

• Line two greased 9-in. round baking pans with waxed paper and grease the paper; set aside., In a large bowl, beat eggs on high speed for 3 minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture becomes thick and lemon-colored. Beat in vanilla., Combine flour and baking powder; beat into egg mixture. In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter until butter is melted; beat into batter. Spread into prepared pans., Bake at 350° for 28-32 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool completely., Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in Amaretto; cool., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and extract; beat until smooth. In a small bowl, combine raspberry filling and lemon juice; set aside., Cut each cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; brush with 3 tablespoons syrup. Top with 1/3 cup almond filling and 1/3 cup raspberry mixture; repeat layers twice., Top with remaining cake layer; brush with remaining syrup. Frost top and sides of cake with frosting. Press sliced almonds onto sides of cake. Garnish with raspberries. Refrigerate until serving.

ALMOND MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and lightly flour cookie sheets.
• In a large bowl, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar and keep whipping until the egg whites can hold a stiff peak, this will take about 5 minutes. Set aside about 1/2 cup of the egg whites. Add the lemon zest and cinnamon to the rest of the meringue, and fold in the almonds until everything is evenly blended.
• Drop mounds by spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Top each cookie with a smaller dollop of the reserved meringue.
• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Remove cookies from the baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• Make the tart dough: Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until a coarse meal forms. Add egg and pulse just until a crumbly dough comes together. If the dough seems dry, drizzle in a teaspoon or two of water. Press dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight (or up to 5 days).
• Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 3/8-inch thickness (about an 11-inch round). Place dough into a 9-inch tart pan, folding the extra dough in over the edges to build up the sides. Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork; chill in freezer for at least 30 minutes and up to 48 hours. (Cover lightly with plastic wrap if freezing for more than a couple of hours.)
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the tart crust with foil, and fill with baking weights or dried rice or beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights and continue to bake until shell is light golden, another 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
• Prepare the filling: In a medium saucepan, combine raspberries and sugar over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until berries break down, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir in lemon juice and use a fork or wooden spoon to mash raspberries to a purée.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and egg. Slowly add 1/4 cup of hot raspberry purée to egg mixture, whisking constantly. Slowly drizzle the egg-raspberry mixture back into the saucepan with remaining purée, whisking constantly to keep eggs from cooking. Turn the heat to medium-low, and add butter and a pinch of salt to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 7 to 9 minutes.
• Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing hard on the solids, into a bowl. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then whisk briefly to smooth.
• Pour raspberry filling into the tart shell. Bake until filling is set (it should jiggle only slightly in the center), about 14 to 22 minutes. Remove tart from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
• Start preparing the meringue: Using a blender or food processor, blend the freeze-dried raspberries until you get a fine powder speckled with seeds. (The seeds won't break down so don't even try.) Set aside 1 tablespoon of raspberry powder for garnish. Combine cocoa powder with remaining raspberry powder to use for the meringue.
• Place chocolate in heatproof bowl, and melt in microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring after each, until smooth. Set aside. (Or you can melt the chocolate in a pot on the stove over low heat, stirring constantly.)
• Fill a medium pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. In a large metal bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Set the mixing bowl with the egg white mixture into the pot above the water, and whisk constantly by hand until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm (160 degrees on an instant thermometer) and has thickened and lightened in color, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-low speed and gradually increase speed to high, until mixture is thick and fluffy, and stiff peaks form, about 5 to 8 minutes. Be careful not to overbeat.
• Sprinkle raspberry-cocoa mixture on top of meringue. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in mixture 2 to 3 times to halfway incorporate, but remains very streaky. (Do not overmix.) Drizzle melted chocolate into meringue and gently fold until just combined and still streaky. Take care not to deflate the meringue very much. (It will deflate somewhat.)
• Spread the meringue over the hot filling, making sure it meets the edges of the crust. Using a knife or spatula, swirl in a design. Bake until lightly browned, about 7 to 10 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely and sprinkle the top with a little of the reserved raspberry powder. (Save the extra to perk up oatmeal, smoothies and peanut butter sandwiches.)

ALMOND-MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put butter and 1/3 cup sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in 2 yolks, 2 tablespoons cream, and the vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour and salt. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 45 minutes.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to a generous 1/8 inch thick. Using a 1 1/2-inch fluted cutter, cut out rounds, and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Reroll scraps, and cut out. Whisk remaining yolk and 1 tablespoon cream; brush cookies with egg wash. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Put egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until foamy. Gradually add remaining 2 teaspoons sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Place 1 teaspoon meringue and 3 almond pieces on top of each cookie. Bake until meringue is golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.