Miriam Torte
I love the idea of using an existing cake as a foundation for new desserts. With that in mind, for this Passover, I transformed the unadorned Nut Torte from 2022 into a chic, delicious dessert that will be a wow-inducing finale to a Seder meal.
The Nut Torte itself is a delightful blend of almond and hazelnut flours, complemented by frangipane, which adds richness and moisture. Frangipane is one of the foundation preparations of fine pastry. In Passover Frangipane we substitute an equal amount of cake meal for the four teaspoons of flour.
The Miriam Torte begins with the cake sliced in two and layered with a thin spread of raspberry preserves. It is then enveloped in bittersweet chocolate ganache and adorned with a circle of fresh raspberries. The medley of nuts, raspberry, and chocolate creates a divine flavor combination.
The torte meets two of my requirements for a Seder dessert. Firstly, it can sit out at room temperature, freeing up space in the refrigerator for other foods. Secondly, it can be mostly prepared the day ahead, requiring only final assembly on the day of.
As for the torte’s name, I wanted to honor one of the women who played an important role in the exodus from Egypt.
This lovely torte is a special dessert for any time of the year.
Miriam Torte
| Yield: 1 8″ cake | # of Servings: 10 | Difficulty: Moderate |
Ingredients:
10 oz chocolate, 61% to 64%, wafers or chopped into pieces
1 ¼ cup (10 fl oz) heavy cream
1 recipe Nut Torte
¾ cup raspberry preserves
Finishing:
- ½ cup (2 oz / 57 g) chopped sliced almonds
- 1 pint red raspberries
Special tools and equipment:
- 8″ cardboard cake circle
- Icing spatula and small offset spatula
- Cake cooling rack
Pre-recipe preparations:
- The cake may be a baked a day ahead, at the same time as the ganache.
Directions
Day 1:
Make the ganache:
- In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream just to the boil.
- Remove from the heat and add the chocolate pieces all at once. Cover the pan and let sit for 3 minutes.
- Gently whisk until the chocolate is totally dissolved, being careful to not whip too much air into the mixture.
- Pour into a clean, wide container, such as a square Pyrex pan. Press a piece of plastic film against the ganache to prevent a film from forming. Let sit overnight at room temperature.
Bake the cake:
- Bake the Nut Torte and let thoroughly cool. Wrap well in plastic film. The cake may be baked a week ahead and frozen, or baked the morning off assembly.
Day 2:
Assembly
- Using a long serrated knife, level the cake by slicing the domed part off, saving this for snacking. Slice the remaining cake in two horizontally.
- Place the bottom on an 8″ cardboard cake board or a serving plate.
- Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the first layer, preferably with a small offset spatula. Place the top half on and gently press to adhere.
- Crumb-coat the cake by spreading a thin layer of ganache over the sides and top. It doesn’t have to look pretty at this point. Set the cake aside for this ganache layer to set and dry, about 2 hours.
- Make a double boiler by bringing about 1″ of water to the simmer in a small saucepan. Warm the remaining ganache in a small metal bowl over the double boiler until it becomes the consistency of thick heavy cream.
- Place the cake on a cake cooling rack and pour the ganache icing over it, using an icing spatula to move the glaze around the cake and over the edges. Try not to spread the glaze too much with the spatula as this will reduce its shine.
- Use the icing that falls off the cake to cover any empty spots on the side of the cake. Place the cooling rack, with the cake on it on a large cookie sheet or half-sheet pan and place in a cool spot for the icing to set slightly, about 30 minutes.
Finishing:
- Press almond pieces along the bottom of the torte. Set on a serving plate.
- Place fresh raspberries on the top. Keep torte at room temperature.
- For leftovers, remove the raspberries, and place small pieces of plastic film against the exposed portions of the torte. If you have a glass cake dome, place it over the cake. Store at room temperature.