Friday 8 April 2011

dark chocolate torte

mmmmm

Dark Chocolate Torte

Ingredients:

2 cups extra thick double cream ( whipping cream will work too)
3 tablespoons caster/white sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups (1lb of chocolate= 455g) of dark chocolate (60-70 % cocoa solids) chopped into chunks.*
5 tablespoons milk
cocoa or icing sugar for decoration (optional)

For the base:

1½ cups of biscuit/cookie crumbs (I used chocolate covered digestives as that's what I had .)
2 tablespoons melted butter

Mix the biscuit/cookie crumbs and the melted butter. Mix well and press firmly into a lightly greased 8-inch spring form pan and place into the refrigerator.

instructions for the filling:

Put the double cream and sugar into a sauce pan over medium heat and bring to the boil.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter and chocolate chunks and stir until the chocolate has melted. (you may need to sample the mixture too see if you need to add any more sugar to you taste. or that's the excuse you will need to use)

Let the mixture cool slightly before adding the milk and mixing until smooth.

Pour the mixture over the biscuit/cookie base. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minute before chilling for an hour in the refrigerator.


sparklers optional

Cook's notes: I have no idea what the difference between a torte and a tart are if you want to get persnickety. I just know the recipe works for me, it's simple and tastes good and I have been making it for years. Matthew requested it for his birthday the other week so that's what I made. It makes a very rich slice of chocolate heaven so suggest you slice it in small pieces and hoard the rest away in the fridge.
served with a dollop of lightly whipped cream

* the chocolate is more or less two cups worth as it depends on who is stealing..er helping make the torte by tasting the chocolate. Very important to taste the chocolate.


geeky browncoat card I made for Matt's Birthday.
I love Wash... don't tell Matt!

2 comments:

Lisa-Marie said...

Apryl, this looks frickin amazing.

Torte is essentially dense chocolate cake - it can have a crust or not and have flour in or not. It tends to be ganache like in texture, like yours.
Tart has a base or case, generally of pastry, so I think you are right and yours has a torte.

Apryl said...

thank you Lisa for the cookery geekery! I think the original recipe (before I bastardized it) might have had a pastry base but I have never been a fan of pastry so I always go for cookie base.... also I'm lazy and it takes more effort to make pastry. :o)