Chocolate Almond Meringue Torte Recipes

CHOCOLATE ALMOND MERINGUE TORTE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 300°F.
• Set Ice Cream or Dairy-free frozen dessert out to soften slightly.
• Process first three ingredients until finely mixed.
• Whip egg whites and sugar to stiff peaks.
• Fold almond mix into the egg whites.
• Spread onto parchment-lined baking sheets, forming two circles, approximately 9" round and 1/4-1/2" thick.
• Bake until firm (check after 20 minutes). Cool.
• Set one meringue on a plate and spread soft ice cream over it. Top with second meringue and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
• Heat Soy milk to a simmer, and pull off of the heat. Stir in finely chopped chocolate or chips. Stir vigorously until this mixture is thick, slightly cooled and glossy (about 5 minutes).
• Pour Chocolate sauce over frozen ice cream cake, sprinkle the edge with the almonds and place back in freezer until ready to serve.

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.

CHOCOLATE-ALMOND TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch- high sides. Combine chocolate, almonds and 1 cup sugar in processor. Process until all ingredients are very finely chopped and mixture appears grainy. Using electric mixer, beat yolks and vanilla in large bowl until pale yellow and thickened, about 3 minutes. Add chocolate mixture to yolk mixture and fold together (mixture will be very thick). Using mixer fitted with clean beaters, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in another large bowl to stiff peaks. Fold whites into batter in 3 additions.
• Pour batter into cake pan. Bake until top is golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Transfer cake to rack and cool. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.) Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Sift powdered sugar over cake. Top with chocolate curls, if desired. Serve with ice cream.

CHOCOLATE-ALMOND TORTE

Steps:

• Make cake:
• Preheat oven to 350°. Butter mold and dust with sugar, knocking out excess.
• Stir together ground almonds, chocolate, and spices in a bowl. Beat yolks with 1/4 cup sugar in another bowl with an electric mixer until thick and pale, then beat in zest.
• Beat whites with salt with cleaned beaters in a large bowl until they just hold soft peaks. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat until whites just hold stiff peaks.
• Stir one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites in 2 more batches. Fold in ground almond mixture.
• Pour batter into mold and bake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in mold on a rack 10 minutes, then invert onto rack and cool completely.
• Make icing:
• Melt chocolate with 1 tablespoon butter in a small heavy saucepan over very low heat, stirring. Remove from heat and add remaining 5 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until smooth. Transfer icing to a bowl and chill, covered, until slightly thickened and spreadable, about 30 minutes.
• Decorate cake:
• Spread icing over cake with a small metal spatula. Stick points of almonds into cake in straight rows, following ridges, to resemble a porcupine. Chill cake until icing is set, at least 1 hour. Transfer cake to a platter and bring to room temperature before serving.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE-ALMOND TORTE WITH CHERRY PRESERVES AND KIRSCH MERINGUE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake: Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Whisk together cocoa and boiling water until cocoa dissolves and mixture is smooth. Stir in kirsch.
• Beat butter and 1 cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, 1 at a time, scraping down sides of bowl between additions. Add cocoa mixture and almonds, and beat until combined. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Whisk egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the clean bowl of a mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With machine running, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and whisk until stiff peaks form. Fold one-quarter of the whites into batter, then fold in remaining whites.
• Pour batter into pan, and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and cover cake with parchment-lined foil. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 45 minutes. Run a knife or an offset spatula around edge of cake to loosen, and release sides of pan to remove.
• Make the meringue: Whisk egg whites and sugar in a clean heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form. Whisk in kirsch. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
• Spread cherry preserves on top of cake. Spread meringue over preserves using an offset spatula, making decorative swirls. Caramelize peaks of meringue using a handheld kitchen torch or under the broiler.