Pastel Torte Recipes

PASTEL TORTE

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time. Combine flour and baking powder; add to the creamed mixture. Press into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 325° for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. Cool. , In a saucepan, combine the sugar, gelatin and salt; stir in water. Let stand for 1 minute. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; transfer to a bowl. Add confectioners; sugar; beat on high until thick and creamy white, about 12 minutes. Add baking powder and extract. Divide into three equal portions. Add green food coloring to one portion and red food coloring to another; mix well. Leave the third portion white. Pour green mixture over crust; chill for 3 minutes. Top with white mixture; chill for 3 minutes. Top with pink mixture. Sprinkle with coconut. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until set.

TORTA CAPRESE

Steps:

• Place the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler and melt until smooth. Cool slightly, until just warm to the touch.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan.
• Place the egg whites in a medium bowl with the salt. Place the yolks in a slightly larger bowl with the granulated sugar. Using a handheld mixer, beat the whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Then beat the egg yolks on medium speed until light, pale and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, stir the chocolate mixture, almond flour and vanilla into the yolks. In 2 batches, fold the whipped whites into the chocolate base. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until puffed and beginning to crack on top, about 40 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• When cool, run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake. Remove the outside ring and dust the top with confectioners' sugar.

PASTéIS DE NATA (PORTUGUESE CUSTARD TARTS)

Steps:

• Using a pastry brush, grease eight individual pastry tins generously with the melted butter, then chill in the fridge. Put the butter between two sheets of baking parchment, then bash and roll into a large rectangle roughly the thickness of a £1 coin. In a large bowl, mix the flour with 150ml water and a pinch of salt using a wooden spoon. Tip the dough onto a clean surface and knead for 5 mins until smooth.
• Shape the dough into a rough rectangle, cover with cling film and rest in the fridge for 20 mins. If your butter is getting too soft, put it in the fridge to chill too. Roll the dough out into a large, thin rectangle at least twice the size of the butter. Put the butter in the middle of the dough, fold all the edges up over it to encase it, then fold the dough over itself in half.
• Roll out the dough to roughly half its original size, then fold in half, then half again to make a rectangle a quarter the size of the original. Repeat this process once more, flouring your work surface if you need to. Don't worry about being too precise here, or if the butter starts breaking through some of the layers. Cover and put the pastry in the fridge to rest for 20 mins.
• On a floured surface roll the chilled dough into a thin A3-sized rectangle, then roll it up lengthways into a tight sausage shape. Divide the pastry into three, the middle section will make your perfect looking tarts, then wrap and freeze the rest for another time. (It would also make delicious palmier biscuits if you roll it out and sprinkle with sugar.)
• Slice the pastry into 8 discs. Work the discs into the tins with your fingers, pressing and stretching them to fill the tins. If the layers start to come apart, press them back together. Chill while you make the custard.
• In a pan, warm 150ml milk with the cinnamon stick, lemon peel and half the butter until just simmering and the butter has melted. In a large bowl, sieve the cornflour and flour into the remaining milk and whisk to form a thin paste. Pour the warm milk mixture over the flour paste and leave to infuse for a few mins. Sieve the custard back into the pan, heat gently and keep stirring for 3-4 mins until it reaches the consistency of double cream. Take off the heat and blend in the remaining butter.
• Put the syrup ingredients in a frying pan and stir over a medium heat for 5 mins until you have a light, fragrant caramel. Take the pan off the heat and carefully pour in 100ml water. Return the pan to a low heat until the sugar has melted again into a syrup. Strain into a bowl.
• Slowly add half the syrup to the custard and whisk until completely blended. You can store the custard in the fridge from this point, but don't add the eggs until just before you are ready to cook the tarts. Heat your oven to 260C/240C fan/gas 8 or as high as your oven will go. Put a baking tray on the top shelf of the oven to heat up. Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl, then incorporate into the custard. Pour the mixture into the pastry bases.
• Put the filled tin on the hot baking tray. Put the tray in the middle of the oven and bake for 5- 8 mins, or until the custard starts to puff up. Once the custard has puffed up, turn the oven onto its grill setting and transfer the tarts to the top shelf. Grill for 1-2 mins or until caramelised - the darker the better. Remove from the oven and brush with a little of the remaining syrup. Let the tarts cool slightly in the moulds before turning out onto a cooling rack.

PASTEL DE ELOTE (MEXICAN CORN CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan. Chill in freezer.
• Cut kernels from ears of corn with a sharp knife. Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
• Combine eggs, condensed milk, whole milk, and corn kernels in a blender; blend until smooth. Transfer egg mixture to a bowl with butter and mix well.
• Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl. Add egg mixture and mix well to combine.
• Remove cake pan from freezer. Grease and flour again. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from tin and cool on a wire rack.

TORTA DE SANTIAGO

Steps:

• Cream the sugar, lemon rind, and egg yolks until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Stir in the almonds and cinnamon.
• Beat the egg whites until they are stiff, but not dry.
• Stir a few tablespoons of the egg white into the almond mixture, then fold in the rest of the egg whites.
• Pour into 2 greased 8 in layer pans and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the cakes are well browned.
• Cool briefly, then remove the cakes from the pans.
• coat with powdered sugar and nuts (optional).

DEEP DARK MOCHA TORTE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease and lightly flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans, or spray with baking spray with flour. Make and cool cakes as directed on box for 8- or 9-inch rounds. Refrigerate layers about 45 minutes for easier handling.
• Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, stir granulated sugar, rum and coffee granules until coffee is dissolved. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally; remove from heat. Cool completely.
• In medium bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on low speed just until blended, adding enough milk for spreading consistency; set aside.
• In 1-quart saucepan, heat ganache ingredients over low heat, stirring frequently, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth. Refrigerate about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
• Cut each cake layer horizontally to make 2 layers. (To cut, mark side of cake with toothpicks and cut with long, thin knife.) Brush about 1 tablespoon of the rum mixture over cut side of each layer; let stand 1 minute to soak into cake. Fill each layer with about 2/3 cup filling. Spread ganache over side and top of torte. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE PASTRY TORTE

Steps:

• Combine chocolate, sugar, water, and coffee in saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.
• Blend in vanilla; allow to cool to room temperature.
• Prepare piecrust according to package directions, omitting water.
• Blend 3/4 of the chocolate mixture unto piecrust mix; divide into six equal parts.
• Press each part unto the bottom of an inverted 8" round pan to within 1/2" of edge.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 5-8 minutes.
• While layers are still warm, trim to even edges if desired.
• Let cool; then run the tip of a knife under edges to loosen.
• Lift carefully, transfer to wire cake rack.
• Whip cream to soft peak stage; fold in remaining chocolate sauce.
• Spread chocolate cream between layers and over top.
• Chill overnight or at least for 8 hours.
• Top w/ chopped nuts and/or chocolate curls.
• Makes 9-12 servings depending on how many chocolate lovers you're serving!