Almond Hersheys Torte Recipes

ALMOND TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut a piece of wax or parchment paper to fit the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan. Coat pan with nonstick spray, place prepared paper round in bottom of pan, and spray paper. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 cup almonds.
• In a food processor, process remaining 1 1/2 cups almonds with 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar until finely ground; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites with salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons of confectioners' sugar and beat until stiff glossy peaks form. Beat in almond extract. In three additions, gently fold in ground almond mixture.
• Evenly spread batter into prepared pan, tapping pan on counter to expel large air bubbles. Bake until golden brown and firm in center, 40 to 45 minutes; cool completely in pan. Invert onto serving plate, and remove wax or parchment paper.

ALMOND TORTE WITH RASPBERRY FILLING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment; butter parchment. In a food processor, process almonds and sugar to a powder. Sift together cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and salt.
• In an electric mixer, beat 2 eggs with almond-sugar mixture on low speed until blended, about 1 minute. Add remaining eggs, one at a time, beating on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes and scraping down sides of bowl after each egg. Beat in liqueur.
• Sprinkle cornstarch mixture over egg mixture; fold in. Fold in melted butter. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 15 minutes, rotate pans between oven shelves, and bake until cake tester inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean, 15 to 17 more minutes. Line two wire racks with parchment; spray paper with cooking spray. Turn cakes out of pans to cool on parchment-lined cooling racks for 45 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, warm jam over low heat, stirring occasionally. Spread warm jam on one cake layer; top with second layer, and dust with confectioners' sugar. Decorate with marzipan if desired.

ALMOND HERSHEY'S TORTE

Steps:

• Crush vanilla wafers and sprinkle half in a 9 x 13 inch pan.
• Melt candy bar and marshmallows in milk in a double boiler- stirring constantly. Cool.
• In large bowl whip the cream till stiff and fold in chocolate mixture.
• Spread over crumbs and sprinkle remaining crumbs on top.
• Sprinkle almonds on top and refrigerate.

BROWN BUTTER ALMOND TORTE WITH SOUR CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the torte:
• In a small saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and continue to heat until golden brown with nutlike fragrance. (Bottom of pan will be covered with brown specks.) Cool butter to warm and stir in vanilla.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan, knocking out excess flour.
• In a food processor finely grind whole almonds with flour, 2/3 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until they hold soft peaks. Add remaining 1/3 cup sugar gradually, beating until meringue just holds stiff peaks. Fold in nut mixture gently but thoroughly. Fold in butter gently but thoroughly (batter will deflate) and spread in pan.
• Sprinkle top of batter evenly with sliced almonds and bake torte in middle of oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until it begins to pull away from side of pan and a tester comes out clean.
• Cool torte in pan on a rack 15 minutes and invert onto rack. Flip torte right side up and cool completely. (Torte may be made 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.)
• Serve cake with sauce.
• To make the sauce:
• Working over a heavy saucepan pit cherries. In pan bring cherries, sugar, and water to a boil. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to sauce, stirring. Simmer sauce 2 minutes and cool to room temperature. (Sauce may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring sauce to room temperature before serving.) Makes about 3 cups.

ESTERHAZY TORTE/ESTERHAZYSCHNITTEN/ALMOND MERINGUE SLICES

Steps:

• To make the nut layers: Position a rack in the center of the oven and pre-heat to 350º F. Butter a 17 x 11 inch jelly-roll pan; line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. [Cut slashes in the corners of the paper to help them fold neatly.].
• In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process the hazelnuts, almonds, and confectioners' sugar until the nuts are finely chopped. [Or buy ground nuts.] In a large grease-free bowl, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the granulated sugar and whip until stiff, shiny peaks form. Fold in the nuts.
• Spread the batter evenly in the prepared jelly-roll pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Unmold the cake onto a cutting board, peal off the parchment paper, and cool completely. The, trim the edges to even out, and cut the cake vertically into six 2 ¾ -inch-wide strips.
• Buttercream filling: Heat ¼ cup of the milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the cornstarch and whisk to dissolve. Whisk in the sugar, then the egg yolks. Add the remaining ¾ cup of milk and whisk over medium heat until very thick. Remove form the heat and transfer to a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice water; stir and cool. Using a hand-held electric mixer, add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, then add the kirsch.
• Faux Fondant Icing: Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan; stir over low heat until the glaze is barely warm, 92º to 95ºF. Use immediately.
• Assembly: Place the best-looking nut layer on a wire rack, smooth side up. Spread this layer with warm apricot jam and let stand for about 15 minutes. Pour warm fondant icing over the jam letting any excess drip over the sides. Pipe four thin line of chocolate about ¾ inch apart along the entire length of the icing. To make a feathered effect, at one-inch intervals, draw a wooden toothpick in straight line perpendicular to the long lines of chocolate. Let stand until the icing and chocolate are firm.
• Meanwhile, place 1 nut layer on a cutting board; spread it with about 3 tablespoons of the buttercream. Repeat with the remaining layers, ending with the buttercream. Spread the remaining buttercream around the sides of the cake. Press sliced almonds onto the sides. Top with the iced layer. Refrigerate uncovered for at least one hour prior to slicing.