Layered Pecan Torte Recipes

CHOCOLATE PECAN TORTE

Steps:

• Let eggs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating until thick and lemon-colored. Combine pecans, flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to yolk mixture alternately with water. Stir in vanilla. , In another large bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. , Spoon into two greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 375° for 20-22 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. , For frosting, in a large bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. Beat in confectioners' sugar, cocoa and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Cut each cake horizontally into two layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; top with about 1 cup frosting. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining layer., For glaze, in a small saucepan, combine cocoa, water and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until butter is melted. Remove from the heat; stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over top of cake. Spread remaining frosting over sides of cake. Store in the refrigerator.,

PECAN TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put egg yolks, granulated sugar, zest, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until pale and thickened, about 4 minutes. Fold in pecans.
• Beat whites in a clean mixing bowl until stiff peaks form; fold into yolk mixture. Pour into a 10-inch springform pan.
• Bake until golden brown, about 1 hour (if top browns too quickly, tent with foil). Let cool on a wire rack 30 minutes. Remove sides of pan. Let cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve with curd and berries; garnish with zest.

PECAN TORTE

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until thick and lemon-colored, about 5-6 minutes. Combine pecans and bread crumbs; stir into yolk mixture with vanilla. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Divide evenly among three greased and waxed paper-lined 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until cakes test done. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. For frosting, combine milk and cornstarch in a saucepan until well blended. Add chocolate chips. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Cool to room temperature. In a bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate mixture; beat until fluffy. Spread between cooled cake layers. Frost top and sides. Garnish with pecans if desired.

THREE-LAYER PECAN TORTE WITH WHIPPED HONEY CREAM

Steps:

• Whip egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer with 1/4 cup sugar until glossy and thick. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. In the same bowl of the electric mixer, beat egg yolks, salt and vanilla until lemon-colored, thick, and ribbons when beaters are lifted, about 10 minutes. Gradually beat in remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue beating at medium speed for 5 minutes. With a spatula, stir in the flour, 1 cup of the chopped pecans, and the thick meringue. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Butter and flour three 8-inch cake pans and divide batter between them. Spread batter to level and bake 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack and turn out of pans onto racks to cool completely. Place one cake layer, upside down, on a cake platter and spread with honey cream. Top with second cake layer, upside down, and spread with honey cream. Top with third layer, upside down, and spread top and sides of cake with remaining honey cream, reserving 1 cup for the garnish. Lightly press remaining chopped pecans around the sides of cake Place reserved honey cream in a pastry bag or zip-lock plastic bag with a small corner discarded. Pipe 10 evenly-spaced mounds on top of the cake, and top each mound with a pecan half, rounded side up. Refrigerate until the honey cream sets up and is firm. To serve, cut into 10 slices between pecan-topped honey cream. Whipped Honey Cream: 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup clover or other light honey 4 large egg whites 2 cups sifted powdered sugar Cream butter until light and fluffy. Blend in honey well. Whip egg whites to soft peaks, then gradually beat in powdered sugar. Fold in creamed butter-honey mixture, and whip until fluffy.

BUTTER PECAN ICE CREAM TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar, cream, butter and salt. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Cool completely., Meanwhile, for the crust, cream butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Gradually add flour. Stir in chopped pecans. Press onto bottom and 1/2 in. up sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet., Bake until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly. Spread with 1/2 cup caramel sauce. Cool on a wire rack., Spread ice cream over caramel layer. Freeze 15 minutes. Top with additional chopped pecans or pecan halves. Freeze, covered, several hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate remaining caramel sauce., Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove rim from pan. Heat caramel sauce and serve with torte.

DOBOSH TORTE (SEVEN LAYER TORTE)

Steps:

• To prepare for baking seven layers (the usual number): Tear off seven piece of aluminum foil, or baking pan liner paper (NOTE 1), each about 11-inches long.
• Spread softened butter lightly over a 10-inch square area in the center of each piece of foil or paper.
• Sprinkle with flour.
• Shake and tilt the foil or paper to make sure the buttered area is thoroughly floured and shake off any excess.
• On the floured area trace a 9-inch circle.
• (Use any 9-inch circular object as a pattern: the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, an inverted 9-inch cake tin, or a 9-inch pot cover.) Repeat with remaining pieces of foil or paper.
• Set aside.
• Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
• In the large bowl of an electric mixer at high speed, beat the 10 egg yolks for a few minutes til they are pale and lemon-colored.
• Reduce speed and gradually add sugar.
• Increase speed to high again and beat for 5 minutes or until very thick.
• Reduce speed and gradually add the flour, then again increase it to high and beat for 5 minutes more (mixture will be almost stiff), scraping the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula.
• Mix in the lemon juice and remove from the mixer.
• (The mixture will be very thick-use your fingers to get it all off the beaters.) Beat the seven whites with the salt until they hold a point- stiff, but not dry.
• Since the yolk mixture is very thick, actually stir a few spoonfuls of the whites in to lighten it a bit.
• Then fold in a few large spoonfuls three or four times til the mixture lightens.
• Gently fold in the remaining whites.
• With a large serving spoon, place two or three large spoonfuls of the batter on one of the pieces of prepared foil or paper.
• Using the back of the spoon, spread the batter thin, slowly rotaing the paper with your left hand as you spread the batter with your right hand.
• Make it thin, but do not leave any holes in it.
• A 1/4- inch thickness should give you seven layers.
• Do not make the edges too thin.
• Follow the lines closely, but don't worry, the edges can be trimmed later.
• Slide a cookie sheet under the foil or paper and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until the top is golden brown with dark brown spots.
• If the layers are thicker than mine are, they will take longer to bake.
• If they are not baked long enough they will stick to the foil or paper.
• Repeat with remaining layers.
• If you bake more than one layer at a time, rotate the positions of the pans during baking to insure even browning.
• When a layer is baked and out of the oven, lift the corners of the foil or paper and invert onto a rack.
• Peel off the paper and immediately invert the layer onto another rack to cool, right side up.
• (Letting the layer cool upside down will make it stick to the rack.) When you run out of racks, layers may cool on smooth toweling that has been dusted with confectioner's sugar.
• When you run out of room, cooled layers may be stacked if you sprinkle the tops lightly with confectioner's sugar and place wax paper between them.
• Cooled layers may be trimmed to even the edges.
• Working on a board, place an 8-1/2 inch or 9-inch pot cover or cake pan on the layer.
• Cut around with a small sharp knife and then cut with scissors.
• FILLING AND ICING: Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot water on moderate heat.
• Remove from heat, stir until smooth, and set aside to cool completely.
• In small bowl of electric mixer cream the butter.
• Add vanilla and egg yolks and beat well.
• Add sugar and cooled chocolate.
• Beat until thoroughly mixed, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula.
• Place four strips of wax paper around the outer edges of a cake plate.
• Place one cake layer on the plate and with a long, narrow metal spatula spread with a thin layer of the chocolate filling.
• If you have made more than seven layers, the filling must be spread very thin, in order to have enough for all.
• Place another layer on top, adjusting it carefully so that the edges are lined up evenly.
• Continue icing the layers, stacking them as evenly as possible.
• Spread the remaining chocolate smoothly around the sides first and then over the top.
• Remove wax paper strips by pulling each one out by a narrow end and refrigerate cake for at least several hours to set the icing.
• Store in refrigerator and serve cold.
• NOTES:If you use baking pan liner paper it must be buttered and flourd for this recipe or the layers will stick to it.
• This is a very firm cake; use a sharp heavy knife for serving.
• Dobosh Torte may be made a day ahead, or it may be frozen.
• For a variation you can put cherry, raspberry or strawberry jam or preserves between one or two layers instead of the chocolate filling.

CHOCOLATE-PECAN TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter two 8- by 2-inch round cake pans. Line each pan with a round of wax paper and butter paper.
• Make cake layers:
• In a food processor pulse 2 cups pecans with flour, salt, and baking powder until finely ground (do not pulse to a paste). Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in orange juice. Separate eggs and in a large bowl with an electric mixer beat yolks until pale yellow. Gradually add sugar, beating until thick and pale, and fold in pecan mixture gently but thoroughly. In another bowl with cleaned beaters beat whites until they hold stiff peaks. Stir about one fourth whites into pecan mixture to lighten and fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
• Divide batter between cake pans and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until cakes pull away from sides of pans. Cool cake layers in pans on a rack 10 minutes and invert onto rack to cool completely. Carefully remove wax paper from bottoms of cake layers.
• While cake layers are cooling, on a baking sheet toast remaining 1/2 cup pecans until fragrant and a shade darker, about 8 minutes. Cool nuts and chop.
• Make filling:
• In a medium bowl with cleaned beaters beat cream with zest until it just holds stiff peaks.
• Arrange 1 cake layer, top side up, on a serving plate and spread filling evenly onto layer. Put remaining layer, bottom side up, on filling.
• Make frosting:
• Chop chocolate. In a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove chocolate from heat and stir in sour cream and a pinch salt until smooth.
• Immediately spread frosting on top and side of torte and pat toasted pecans around side. Chill torte, loosely covered, until frosting is set, at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days.
• Serve torte chilled or at room temperature.

LAYERED PUMPKIN TORTE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the crumbs, sugar and cinnamon; stir in butter. Press into an ungreased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in sugar and eggs until fluffy. Pour over crust. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a large saucepan, combine the pumpkin, egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, milk, cinnamon and salt. Cook and stir over low heat for 10-12 minutes or until mixture is thickened and reaches 160°F Remove from the heat.
• In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand for 1 minute. Heat over low heat, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Stir into pumpkin mixture; cool.
• In a large heavy saucepan, combine egg whites and remaining sugar. With a portable mixer, beat on low speed for 1 minute. Continue beating over low heat until mixture reaches 160F, about 12 minutes.
• Remove from the heat; beat until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Fold into pumpkin mixture. Pour over cream cheese layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set.
• Just before serving, in a large mixing bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form. Spread over pumpkin layer.