Passover Big Apple Torte Recipes

APPLE CAKE FOR PASSOVER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Dust a greased 13x9-in. baking dish 1/4 cup matzo meal; set aside., In a large bowl, combine apples, 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon; set aside. In another large bowl, beat eggs until slightly thickened. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in oil and water. Combine potato starch and remaining matzo meal; add to egg mixture and mix well., Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Top with apples and remaining batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. If desired, top with whipped cream.

PASSOVER APPLE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and lightly oil an 8-inch square glass baking dish.
• In a small bowl, mix together the walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon.
• In a large bowl with a stand mixer or handheld mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs until well combined. Beat in the sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing until the mixture is thick and foamy. Beat in the oil, adding it in a steady stream. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the spatula, stir in the matzo cake meal, blending well. The mixture will be VERY thick.
• Spread half the cake mixture in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle about half the topping mixture evenly over the batter. Arrange half the apples on the batter, making layers if you need. Sprinkle with the raisins. Scrape the remaining batter over the apples, spreading it out to cover the apples. Arrange the remaining apples on the batter and sprinkle evenly with the remaining topping mixture.
• Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the sides of the cake pull away very slightly from the baking dish and the topping has begun to caramelize. (A cake tester is not reliable. It will not come out clean due to the moist richness of this cake.)
• Let the cake cool in the baking dish for several hours until room temperature before cutting it into serving portions. This cake is yet another Yiddish food that improves with age. Keep the cake in its dish, covered tightly with plastic, and the next day the topping will have become a moist, candy-like coating.

PASSOVER CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan with foil. Grease foil.
• Melt margarine and chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth and let cool.
• In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat whites until stiff; about 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, beat together yolks and sugar until thick and pale; about 1 minute. Blend in chocolate mixture and stir in almonds. Fold in beaten whites, 1/3 at a time, into chocolate until no streaks of white remain. Scrape into prepared pan.
• Place an 8 inch baking pan with 1 inch of water in it on the bottom rack of the oven (to make the torte more moist).
• Bake torte on center rack at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes, or until sides begin to pull away from pan and top is set in center. Cover the torte loosely with foil for the last 20 minutes of baking. Note: Don't worry if the cake cracks because the top will be on the bottom later.
• Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes and then carefully remove sides of pan. Invert onto a serving plate and cool completely.

PASSOVER 'BIG APPLE' TORTE

Steps:

• Set oven rack at middle of oven; preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat egg yolks until thick and pale, add sugar gradually. Beat until very thick.
• In a small bowl, sift together matzo cake meal and potato starch. Add to yolk mixture alternately with apple juice, beginning and ending with matzo mixture and blending after each addition.
• Add lemon rind and vanilla. Beat until combined well.
• In a separate bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks.
• Stir ½ cup of the beaten egg whites into the apple juice mixture. Fold in remaining egg whites gently but thoroughly.
• Pour into pan; spread evenly. Arrange apple slices on top, overlapping them slightly.
• In a small bowl, stir together 1 T. sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples.
• Bake about 50 to 55 minutes or until golden and cake tester comes out clean.
• Let cool in pan on a wire rack.

PASSOVER CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottom of a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan with parchment paper.
• Break up or chop the chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl with the butter or margarine. Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and allow the chocolate and butter to melt, stirring occasionally. When everything has melted, remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• In the meantime, put the egg yolks in a large bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, whip the egg whites to very firm peaks, about 5 minutes.
• When the melted chocolate mixture has cooled, add it to the egg yolks, along with the sugar, and whisk well.
• Using a rubber spatula, stir about one-third or less of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Carefully spoon another third of the egg whites on top of the chocolate mixture and gently fold them in. Add the remaining whites and fold them in just until incorporated.
• Transfer half of the batter to another bowl and set aside in the refrigerator.
• Pour the remaining batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes: it will turn into a soft, moist cake. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan.
• When the cake has reached room temperature, pour the reserved chocolate mousse on top of it. Refrigerate the mousse cake, uncovered, for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until set.
• When you're ready to serve, run a sharp thin-bladed knife around the cake's edges and then remove the sides of the springform pan. Peel the paper from the bottom, and place the cake on a serving platter. Serve cold, decorated with chocolate shavings, if desired.
• Leftover cake will keep in the refrigerator, wrapped in aluminum foil, for a couple of days.

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.

PASSOVER DOUBLE CHOCOLATE ALMOND TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Grease a 9-inch springform pan and dust with 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder.
• Melt chopped chocolate squares and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Whisk egg yolks and vanilla extract together in a large bowl.
• Gradually whisk chocolate and butter mixture into egg yolk mixture until well blended.
• Beat egg whites in a separate bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat sugar into egg whites until sugar dissolves and egg whites hold stiff peaks.
• Fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into chocolate mixture. Gently fold in remaining egg white mixture until just blended and batter is smooth and fluffy.
• Spread batter evenly into prepared springform pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until sides begin to pull away from pan and top is set in center, about 25 minutes.
• Let torte cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing the sides of pan.
• Place chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl and heat in microwave on full power for 1 minute. Stir the chips. Continue to heat in 15-second intervals, stirring after each time, until the chocolate chips have melted and are warm and smooth. Do not overheat.
• Drizzle melted chocolate chips onto torte. Sprinkle crushed almonds and a dusting of confectioners' sugar and 1/2 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder, or as needed, onto the torte before serving..