Hungarian Chocolate Chestnut Torte (gesztenye Torta)

Total Time: 3 hrs 5 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs 18 mins Cook Time: 47 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened chestnut puree, packed (3/4 of a 14 oz can or homemade)
• 4 ounces semisweet dark chocolate (about 1 1/4 cups grated)
• 2 ounces ground blanched almonds (1/2 cup) or 2 ounces ground pecans (1/2 cup)
• 1/2 fine breadcrumbs
• butter, melted (to butter pan)
• flour (to dust pan)
• 8 eggs, seperated
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 1/4 cups vanilla sugar
• 1 ounce semisweet dark chocolate
• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature (1 stick)
• 1 cup powdered vanilla sugar, sifted
• 2 ounces coarsely ground blanched almonds (1/2 cup) or 2 ounces coarsely ground pecans (1/2 cup)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 -3 tablespoons vanilla powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 cup unsweetened chestnut puree (remaining 1/4 of 14 oz can)
• 2 tablespoons powdered vanilla sugar
• 1 tablespoon rum

Recipe

• 1 force chestnut purée through a potato ricer to make the purée fluffy, and set aside.
• 2 grate the chocolate using a food processor or the grater attachment of your mixer if you have one.
• 3 mix the almonds and breadcrumbs together.
• 4 preheat oven to 325°f.
• 5 prepare 2 9-inch springform pans for baking by brushing the bottom and sides of the pan with melted butter, dusting with flour, and shaking out the excess.
• 6 beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, but not dry.
• 7 using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks, gradually adding the sugar until well mixed (3-4 minutes: the mixture will be light yellow and very thick and creamy).
• 8 fold in the chestnut purée, then the grated chocolate.
• 9 carefully fold in the nut and bread crumb mixture.
• 10 stir 1 tablespoon of the egg whites into the batter, then fold the rest in 1/4 at a time.
• 11 pour the batter into the prepared pans, spread evenly, and bake in the center of the oven until the tops turn light brown (30-50 minutes).
• 12 remove from oven and let it cool a little in the pan.
• 13 remove the sides of the pan and allow to cool thoroughly before filling it.
• 14 for filling, melt chocolate in a double boiler over very low heat.
• 15 cream the butter with the powdered sugar; add the melted chocolate, and beat until fluffy.
• 16 fold in the nuts.
• 17 refrigerate until ready to use.
• 18 when the layers are completely cooled, take the better of the two for the top layer.
• 19 spread the bottom layer with the filling, and set the top layer on top.
• 20 in a cold bowl, with a cold beater, whip the cream.
• 21 gradually sift in the powdered sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
• 22 refrigerate until ready to use.
• 23 mash the chestnut purée with a fork, then work in the powdered sugar.
• 24 beat in the rum, and taste for flavoring.
• 25 when ready to serve the cake, top with whipped cream, then force the chestnut topping through a potato ricer directly on top of the whipped cream.