German-style torte with ground walnuts, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs, and a mocha whipped cream frosting.
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Happy Valentine’s Day! Here’s a special treat that would be perfect for the Day of Hearts: a German-style torte, a layered cake made with ground walnuts, beaten eggs, sugar, and breadcrumbs, topped with a light mocha-flavored whipped cream.
The cake is almost flour-free, has only 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, and has a nice texture from the ground walnuts and beaten eggs.
To make the mocha icing, start with a base of strong coffee (I use decaffeinated coffee, doubling the amount of coffee I would normally use for drinking), sugar, some cornstarch, and a few chocolate chips.
These ingredients are thickly cooked, then cooled and fold in with whipped cream. The result is a light, creamy glaze with a delicious chocolate-coffee-mocha taste.
The original recipe is a snippet that a friend of Gabi gave her years ago. I examined the clipping and found that the recipe was published in a local newspaper in the late ’70s as part of a menu celebrating the opening of the John Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California.
The original cutting instructions are rather sparse, so I’ve fleshed them out here to ensure you get a successful outcome when creating the recipe.
It’s actually a lot easier than it looks at first glance, but it does require some baking skills to whip egg whites and gently fold things together.
Imagine you are making a sweet soufflé with ground nuts in the batter. A light touch will be rewarded.
Walnut mocha cake
To get started with this recipe, the first thing you should do is prepare the coffee for the frosting and separate the eggs for the cake batter. Eggs separate better when they’re cold straight out of the fridge, but they whip better when they’re at room temperature. So, separate them first, and then prepare the rest of the ingredients.
ingredients
- Cake:
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6 eggs
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1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar (divided into 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup)
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1 cup (120 g) finely ground walnuts (from about 1 1/3 cup shelled walnuts)
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1/2 cup (55 g) fine, dry breadcrumbs (regular, unseasoned)
- Mocha topping:
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1/2 cup (100g) white granulated sugar
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2 tablespoons cornstarch
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1 cup (8 fl oz, 236 ml) strong coffee (I use decaffeinated coffee, using twice the amount of coffee for the liquid than I would normally drink)
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1 ounce (30 g) chocolate chips (slightly under 1/4 cup)
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1 tablespoon butter
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2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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1 cup (8 fl oz, 236 ml) heavy whipping cream
special equipment
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blender
method
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separate eggs:
Separate the eggs into yolks and whites (see Separating Eggs). Make sure there are no bits of shell or yolk in the egg whites and that the bowl you hold them in is completely clean with no traces of grease. Any fat from the yolk or oil will make it difficult to whip the egg whites.
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Prepare cake pans:
Prepare two 9 inch cake pans. Line the pans with parchment paper or wax paper. Lightly butter the sides of the pans (not the paper).
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Preheat the oven to 175°C
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Mix ground walnuts and breadcrumbs:
Mix the ground walnuts and breadcrumbs in a small bowl and set aside.
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Beat egg yolks with sugar:
Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Slowly add 3/4 cup white sugar and continue beating the yolks until thick and pale. (I use a hand mixer for this.)
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Beat egg whites, add sugar:
Using a stand mixer, using the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until fluffy. Slowly sprinkle in 1/4 cup white sugar and beat until soft peaks form.
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Fold the egg white and walnut mixture into the egg yolk mixture:
Using a rubber spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture, alternating with the walnut mixture.
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Bake:
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans lined with parchment. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 to 30 minutes, until a slight imprint is left when touched.
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Make Mocha Frosting Base:
While the cake is baking, prepare the mocha frosting base. In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup white sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Turn the heat to medium and gradually stir in the coffee and chocolate chips. Stir continuously until the mixture starts to simmer and thickens quite a bit.
Continue stirring while the mixture simmers for 1 minute. Then remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla extract until well combined.
Leave to cool completely. (You will incorporate this mocha base into whipped cream when frosting the cake.)
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Let the cake cool, remove from the molds and remove the paper:
Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool in the molds for 10 minutes. Run a dull knife around the edges of the cakes to separate them from the sides of the pans.
Carefully invert the cakes onto a wire rack. Gently peel back and discard the parchment or wax paper. Leave to cool completely. Note that you can bake the cakes first, cool to room temperature, wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze until ready to freeze and serve.
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Complete the glaze:
Whip the cream until it is quite thick, just before the point where it would turn into butter with further whipping. This will help it hold up as frosting. After whipping, fold the whipped cream and mocha base together.
It may be a little mottled, and by just folding it slightly you can get an almost marbled effect of light and dark with the frosting if you like.
Place a cake on a serving platter. Frost the top. Place the second cake on top and glaze the top and sides of the cake. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Links:
Mocha nut cake – the original excerpt
Chocolate Walnut Tweed Cake by Fine Cooking
