Pecan Torte Recipes

CHOCOLATE PECAN MERINGUE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Draw two 8-inch circles on a sheet of parchment paper and place it on a sheet pan, pencil side down.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt on high speed for one minute, until frothy. With the mixer on high, slowly add the 2/3 cups sugar and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and beat on high for 2 minutes, until it makes firm, glossy peaks.
• Divide the meringue between the two circles and spread into two flat 8-inch disks with a rubber spatula. Bake the meringues for one hour, turn the heat off, and leave the meringues in the oven for 2 hours. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely to room temperature on the sheet pan.
• With a large flat spatula, carefully transfer one disk, rounded side up, to a totally flat serving plate. (It's okay if the top cracks a little.) Spread the chocolate pecan filling evenly on top. Place the second meringue, rounded side up, on top.
• Combine the heavy cream, the 2 tablespoons sugar, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until it forms firm peaks. Spread the whipped cream on top of the torte. Decorate with the shaved chocolate and refrigerate for 2 hours or for up to a day and serve cold.
• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, process the pecans until finely ground. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water, whisk the eggs, sugar, and cornstarch together, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk the mixture almost constantly, until it is 130 to 140 degrees and thickened like custard. Set aside to cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally.
• Set another bowl over the pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Put the chocolate and espresso in the bowl and heat just until the chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Stir in the Kahlua and vanilla and set aside to cool to room temperature. Whisk the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, whisking until smooth. Stir in the pecans. The filling can sit at room temperature for up to 4 hours.

TINY PECAN TARTS

Steps:

• To Make Pastry: Cream butter or margarine and cream cheese. Add flour and mix well. Make into 48 balls; place one ball in each cup of a mini tart pan. Use your fingers or a tart tamper to press out into a tart shell.
• To Make Filling: Break the eggs, but do not beat. Add sugar, melted butter, salt, vanilla and pecans. Mix well. Fill the tart shells. Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for about 30 minutes or until delicately browned.

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.,

FLOURLESS APPLE-PECAN TORTE

Steps:

• Toss apples with lemon juice. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; toss. Cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine. Cook until almost absorbed and apples are syrupy, about 3 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Whisk together yolks and 1/4 cup granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; fold in apples, pecans, matzo cake meal, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
• Whisk whites, salt, and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a clean bowl of a mixer until stiff, glossy peaks form. Working in 3 batches, gently fold whites into batter. Pour into pan. Bake until top is brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool.
• Run a knife or an offset spatula around edge of torte. Remove from pan. Garnish with confectioners' sugar.

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.

MAPLE-PECAN TORTE (WITH BOURBON)

Steps:

• heat oven to 350°F.
• Spread chopped pecans on large baking sheet.
• Toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Remove nuts from oven; set aside to cool.
• Maintain oven at 350°F.
• Lightly butter and flour 2 straight-sided 10 inch round cake pans.
• Line bottoms with ungreased kitchen parchment or waxed paper.
• On medium speed, beat 1 cup butter in large bowl until fluffy.
• Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar.
• Continue to beat until very fluffy.
• Increase speed to high.
• Pour in 1 cup of the maple syrup in thin stream, beating all the while.
• Beat egg yolks into the butter mixture, one at a time, beating and scraping sides of bowl with rubber spatula after each addition.
• Beat in orange zest, maple flavoring and vanilla.
• Sift cake flour, baking powder and soda onto waxed paper or bowl.
• Sift together one more time; set aside.
• Beat egg whites and salt in large grease-free bowl with clean beaters on medium speed until soft peaks form.
• Increase speed to high and beat until stiff but not dry.
• Beginning and ending with the flour mixture, fold it and egg whites alternately in butter mixture, sifting the flour over the butter mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time and then folding it into mixture.
• The flour will take 5 additions.
• The egg whites 4 additions.
• Fold gently--Do not over mix.
• Pour batter in prepared cake pans and smooth surface with gently with rubber spatula.
• Bake in center of oven 25 to 30 minutes or until inserted wooden pick comes out clean.
• Remove pans from oven. Let layers cool in pans on wire rack 8 minutes.
• Unmold layers onto wire racks, let cool completley.
• Place layers in plastic wrap on baking sheets in freezer until semi frozen, about 45 minutes.
• While cake is in freezer make Maple Buttercream:.
• Combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup maple sugar in a heavy saucepan.
• Add orange slice and bourbon.
• Heat, stirring constantly over medium-high heat to boiling.
• Boil gently 1 minute.
• Remove from heat. Discard orange slice.
• You should have about 1/3 cup of syrup.
• Trim brown crusts from top and bottom of each semi-frozen cake layer; discard trimmings.
• Cut each layer horizontally in half with long serrated knife.
• Brush sides of layers with syrup.
• Sprinkle remaining syrup over surface of each layer.
• Place one layer, syrup side up on plate.
• Spread with Buttercream.
• Stack second layer on top with syrup side up.
• Spread with Buttercream.
• Repeat with next 2 layers--do not put Buttercream on top of last layer.
• Place a baking sheet on top of cake.
• Place a one 1-pound weight (can of fruit or a bag of rice) on top of baking sheet.
• Refrigerate 15 minutes to compress layers.
• Remove cake from refrigerator. Remove weight. Remove baking sheet.
• Spread remaining Buttercream over top and sides of cake.
• Press toasted pecans evenly over sides of cake.
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
• Maple Buttercream:.
• Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy; reserve.
• Heat maple syrup in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat to boiling.
• Cook without stirring until syrup reaches firm ball stage or candy thermometer reaches 244°F (31 to 32 minutes), watching to see syrup doesn't boil over.
• You should have about 1 cup.
• When syrup reaches soft ball stage (238 degrees to 240 degrees or 22 minutes), begin beating egg whites with salt in large grease-free bowl with clean beaters on medium speed until stiff but not dry (7 to 8 minutes.
• Continue to beat.
• Add hot syrup in thin streams, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula once or twice.
• Continue to beat mixture until it has reached room temperature and no longer feels warm (10 to 15 minutes).
• Increase speed to high.
• Beat in one fourth of the reserved butter about 1 tablespoon at a time.
• Then beat in remaining butter by tablespoons.
• Scrape down sides.
• Beat in bourbon and vanilla.

PECAN TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans.
• Beat egg whites in mixing bowl until medium-stiff peaks form; set aside. Sift together flour and cocoa powder; whisk in ground pecans and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks; mix in 2/3 cup sugar, vanilla, and 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules and beat well. Fold yolk mixture into egg whites. Gently fold in flour, cocoa, and pecan mixture. Spread batter into prepared pans.
• Bake in preheated oven until cake springs back when lightly touched with a finger and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cakes cool slightly, then remove from pans to cool completely on wire racks.
• To Make Mocha Cream: Dissolve 1 tablespoon coffee granules in boiling water. Cool. Beat whipping cream and 2 tablespoons of sugar together in a cold mixing bowl until stiff. Mix in cooled coffee.
• Fill and frost cake with Mocha Cream and garnish with pecan halves. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

PECAN PRALINE PUMPKIN TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 9x3-inch round cake pans with flour-based baking spray and line bottoms of pans with parchment. In a medium saucepan, stir together brown sugar, butter and 3 tablespoons cream over low heat until melted, about 5 minutes. Pour brown sugar mixture into prepared pans, dividing equally. Divide 1 cup of chopped pecans between the pans, sprinkling evenly.Beat eggs, sugar and oil in bowl of an electric mixer until well blended; stir in pumpkin and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and stir until incorporated. Pour half of the batter into each pan and smooth tops using a rubber spatula.Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean. Let cool in pans about five minutes, then invert out onto racks and remove paper. Let cool completely.Beat remaining 1 3/4 cups cream in a large bowl with mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add in powdered sugar and remaining vanilla extract. Set one cake layer on a serving plate, pecan praline side up. Spread two-thirds of whipped cream mixture over top, and add second cake layer with praline side up. Top with remaining whipped cream mixture and sprinkle with remaining pecans. This cake can be served at room temperature, but it's also very tasty when served chilled!

APPLE PECAN TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450.
• Unfold both pie crusts.
• Cut each crust in half.
• Place crust halves on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Prick several times with fork.
• Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until light golden brown.
• Cool while preparing filling.
• In large microwave-safe bowl, combine apples sugar, flour, cinnamon, butter and vanilla Mix well.
• Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes.
• Stir.
• Microwave an additional 3 to 6 minutes, or until apples are tender (stirring once halfway through cooking) Place 1/2 cup of frosting in a small microwave safe bowl; set aside.
• Add remaining frosting to apple mixture; stir until apples are coated.
• Place one crust half in center of ungreased cookie sheet.
• Spread with 1/3 of apple mixture (about 1 cup); sprinkle with 1/4 cup of pecans Top with second crust half, pressing lightly.
• Repeat layers ending with fourth crust half.
• Cover loosely with foil.
• Bake at 450 for 8 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake an additional 1 or 2 minutes or until golden brown.
• Microwave reserved frosting on high for 20 to 30 seconds, or until melted.
• Pour over top of torte and spread to edges.
• Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup pecans.
• Cool 15 minutes.
• To serve, cut into wedges.
• If desired, serve with ice cream or whipped topping.