Chocolate/ dessert/ Dorie Greenspan/ French/ Gluten free/ Italian/ Nut/ quick cake

Mocha-Walnut Torte | Baking with Dorie

Want to make and taste a “good” mocha-walnut torte, look no further! In this case, good also means gluten-free, no fuss, no leavening (perfect for Passover). On top of that, there are just four key ingredients: walnuts, chocolate, sugar and eggs (at a 2:1:2:2 ratio in weight). Of course, we are not stopping at four ingredients. Dorie dials up the flavor by including ground espresso coffee, cinnamon and vanilla. Why not?

I couldn’t believe how easy it is to make this torte. Feels like it breaks all the basic baking convention. When I think of baking, I’d instantaneously gather the flour, butter, sugar or eggs, but not this time. There is no flour or butter in the batter, hence free of gluten and animal fat. You start with three bowls: one big bowl for all the dry ingredients, and two smaller ones where you put in, separately, the egg yolks and the whites.

Pulse the dry ingredients (walnuts, sugar, chocolate, coffee and cinnamon) in a food processor until you get a bread-crumb-like consistency. Don’t overdo it. When the walnuts become a paste and the chocolate melts, you’ve gone too far.

Whisk egg yolks with the sugar. Next, beat in the vanilla. Combine the yolk mixture with the walnut mix. Set it aside. Beat the egg whites until they are foamy. Then add the remaining sugar, one tablespoon at a time. Beat the whites until they become thick and glossy. Finally fold the meringue into the walnut mixture as quickly as possible without knocking all the air out.

Scrape the batter into a lined 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 43-48 minutes in a 350°F oven.

Voila, you get an Italian caffè, French bistro or Austrian coffee-house specialty of mocha-walnut torte fit for the day, and for that matter, any day.

Print Recipe

Mocha-Walnut Torte | Baking with Dorie

Ingredients

FOR THE MOCHA-WALNUT TORTE
▢Butter or baking spray for the pan
▢Cocoa powder for the pan
▢1 1/2 cups walnuts (whole or pieces)
▢1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
▢4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped
▢2 tablespoons ground coffee preferably espresso
▢1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
▢4 large eggs
▢1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
▢1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE (optional)
▢1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
▢8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
▢4 tablespoons (2 oz) unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
FOR SERVING (optional)
▢1/2 recipe Chocolate Ganache for finishing
▢Toasted walnuts for sprinkling
▢Whipped cream crème fraîche and/or confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350°F (180°C).

Coat a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan with butter or baking spray. Line the bottom with parchment and butter or spray the parchment, then dust the pan with cocoa powder. Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

In a food processor, combine the nuts, 2 tablespoons (25 g) of the sugar, the chocolate, coffee, and cinnamon and pulse, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl often and taking care that you don’t process for so long that the walnuts become a paste and the chocolate melts. You want to end up with a bread-crumb–like mixture—it’s better to have some discernible morsels than to overdo it.

Separate the eggs, putting the yolks in a large bowl and the whites in the bowl of a or a large bowl that you can use with a hand mixer.

Working with a whisk, beat the yolks until they’re homogeneous. Gradually whisk in 3/4 cup (150 g) of the sugar and then beat until the mixture is pale and your whisk leaves tracks, about 2 minutes.

Beat in the vanilla. Switch to a flexible spatula and stir in the walnut mixture.

Add the salt to the whites. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer, if using, and fit it with the whisk attachment. Beat the whites until they are foamy, opaque and just a bit thick, 1 to 2 minutes.

Beat in the remaining 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar, adding it a tablespoon at a time. Once all the sugar is in, the whites should be thick and glossy—lift the beater(s), and the meringue should hold a pretty peak. If it doesn’t, continue to beat for 2 to 3 minutes more.

Using a flexible spatula, scoop out about a quarter of the meringue and add it to the bowl with the egg yolk mixture. Stir everything together energetically so that the whites lighten the thick mixture.

Scrape the rest of the meringue into the bowl and, being gentle, stir and fold it in. (Without overdoing it, you want to get as much of the meringue into the nut mixture as quickly as possible. If there are a few white streaks, it’s fine (better to have streaks than to knock all the air out of the meringue.) Scrape the batter into the pan, swiveling the pan from side to side to settle the batter evenly.

Bake until the torte feels firm to the touch and has risen and a tester inserted into the center of the torte comes out clean, 43 to 48 minutes.

Move the pan to a rack and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then run a table knife between the torte and the sides of the pan to release the torte. Remove the sides of the springform and allow the torte to cool to room temperature on the rack.

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE (optional):

Rinse a small saucepan with cold water, but don’t dry it (this helps prevent the cream from scorching). Pour in the cream, set the pan over medium heat and bring just to a boil.

Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and then, working with a small flexible spatula and beginning in the center of the pan, start stirring the chocolate and cream together. Stir in ever-widening concentric circles until you have a thick, shiny, smooth mixture. Piece by piece, blend in the butter until melted and smooth, about 3 minutes.

SERVE THE TORTE:

When the torte is cool, invert it, remove the base of the pan and the parchment and turn the torte right side up onto the rack.

If you want to glaze the torte, now’s the time. Put a piece of foil or other drip catcher under the rack, pour the ganache over the cake and use an offset spatula or knife to smooth it over the top. (Alternatively, you can drizzle the ganache over the torte. And if you’re using toasted walnuts, sprinkle them over the glaze while it’s still warm.)

Refrigerate the torte until chilled, wrapping it well once it’s cold. The torte is good at room temperature, but I prefer it straight from the fridge. It also cuts better when it’s cold.

Serve with whipped cream or crème fraîche or, if you prefer, dust the top with confectioners’ sugar. Or don’t—it’s fine just the way it is.