Chocolate Caramel Pumpkin Torte Food

CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL PUMPKIN TORTE

Steps:

• Line a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper. Set aside., In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla (mixture will appear curdled). Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, baking soda and nutmeg; add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition. Stir in walnuts., Transfer to prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. Carefully remove waxed paper., For caramel frosting, in a small bowl, beat butter and sundae syrup until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth., For chocolate frosting, in a small bowl, beat butter and cocoa until fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla; beat until smooth., Trim cake edges; cut widthwise into fourths. Place one layer on a serving plate; top with half of the chocolate frosting. Top with another cake layer and top with half of the caramel frosting. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with walnuts and toffee bits. Chill until serving.

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE DESSERT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch Bundt pan.
• In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat together 3/4 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, applesauce, and eggs. Mix in 1/2 cup heavy cream and pumpkin. Stir into the flour mixture just until blended. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
• Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan over a wire rack. Invert cake onto a serving plate.
• Place the brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and 1/3 cup heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring to blend until smooth. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the confectioner's sugar, and drizzle over the cake immediately.

SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Line the base of a deep, round 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin with a circle of baking parchment. Line the sides with one long strip that comes just above the sides of the tin - staple or paper clip where the strip overlaps to hold it in place.
• Crush the biscuits in a plastic bag or bowl with the end of a rolling pin. Stir into the melted butter, then evenly press into the bottom of the tin. Chill for 10 mins.
• Reserve 2 tbsp of the caramel. Stir the sea salt into the remainder and spoon into the centre of the biscuit base. Gently spread so the base is evenly covered but a visible 1-2cm border of biscuit remains around the edge. Chill for 20 mins while you make the chocolate layer.
• Gently melt the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir 1 tbsp of the cream into the reserved caramel, then cover and chill until ready to decorate. Once the chocolate has melted, turn off the heat but leave the bowl where it is, and gradually stir in the remaining cream until you have a smooth, shiny, thick chocolate sauce. Sift in the icing sugar and stir in with the vanilla extract. Lift off the heat and let the mixture cool for 10 mins.
• Ladle or pour the chocolate mixture around the edge of the torte first, so it fills the biscuit border, sealing the caramel in the centre. Then ladle or pour in the rest and gently shake to smooth the surface. Chill for at least 5 hrs or up to 24 hours until firm.
• Remove the torte from the tin, then carefully peel off the strip of paper and transfer to a serving plate. Dot the chocolates on top. Spoon the reserved caramel-cream mixture into a small food or freezer bag. Snip off the tiniest tip of the corner to make a very small opening, then squiggle lines of caramel over the top. Chill until ready to serve. Scatter with a pinch or two of sea salt before serving, then thinly slice. Eat with a drizzle of single cream, if you like.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL TART

Steps:

• Prepare chocolate dough: In bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, confectioners' sugar and cocoa. Beat until smooth. Add egg yolk and vanilla, and beat until blended.
• Sift flour into dough mixture. Beat on low speed until combined. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch tart pan. (You can use a 9-inch pan, but the crust will be thicker and the caramel may take longer to set in step 4.)
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line tart with foil, and fill with dried beans, rice or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, and bake until pastry is dry and set, another 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Prepare caramel filling: In a large saucepan, bring sugar, water and corn syrup to a boil. Stir or swirl the pan occasionally, until mixture is a medium amber color, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat. Caramel will continue to cook and darken off of the heat. Carefully but quickly whisk in the butter, cream, creme fraiche and salt until smooth (mixture will bubble up). Pour hot caramel into tart, and allow to cool and set, at least 1 hour.
• Prepare chocolate glaze: Place chocolate in a bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Pour hot cream over chocolate and whisk until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Pour glaze over tart, tilting tart for even coverage. Refrigerate until tart is set, at least one hour, then sprinkle with a few granules of fleur de sel. Keep refrigerated until serving.

FROZEN PUMPKIN MOUSSE TORTE WITH CARAMEL-PECAN TOPPING

Steps:

• For Crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Finely chop nuts and sugar in processor. Add butter and blend, using on/off turns, until moist crumbs form. Using plastic wrap as aid, press mixture onto bottom and all the way up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides, covering completely. Freeze 10 minutes. Bake crust until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool.
• For Filling:
• Whisk 1 cup cream, sugar and yolks in heavy medium saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat until candy thermometer registers 160° about 6 minutes. Strain into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat mixture until cool and slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Beat in pumpkin, corn syrup, rum and spices.
• Using electric mixer, beat remaining 1 1/2 cups cream in large bowl to medium-stiff peaks. Fold cream into pumpkin mixture. Transfer filling to crust. Cover and freeze overnight.
• For Topping:
• Arrange pecans side by side atop torte, covering completely. Drizzle 1/2 cup caramel sauce over, covering nuts completely (pan will be filled to top). Freeze until caramel sets, at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Run sharp knife around pan sides to loosen torte. Release pan sides. Stir remaining caramel sauce in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until warm. Slice torte and serve with sauce.

SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Line the base of a deep, round 20 cm loose-bottomed cake tin with a circle of parchment paper. Line the sides with one long strip that comes just above the sides of the tin - staple or paper clip where the strip overlaps to hold it in place.
• Stir the crushed digestive biscuits into the melted butter, then evenly press into the bottom of the tin.
• Chill for 10 minutes.
• Reserve 2 tablespoons of the caramel.
• Stir the sea salt into the remainder and spoon into the centre of the biscuit base.
• Gently spread so the base is evenly covered but a visible 1-2 cm border of biscuit remains around the edge.
• Chill for 20 minutes while you make the chocolate layer.
• Gently melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler.
• Stir 1 tablespoon of the cream into the reserved caramel, then cover and chill until ready to decorate.
• Once the chocolate has melted, turn off the heat but leave the double boiler where it is, and gradually stir in the remaining cream until you have a smooth, shiny, thick chocolate sauce.
• Sift in the icing sugar and stir in with the vanilla extract.
• Lift off the heat and let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.
• Ladle or pour the chocolate mixture around the edge of the torte first, so it fills the biscuit border, sealing the caramel in the centre.
• Then ladle or pour in the rest and gently shake to smooth the surface.
• Chill for at least 5 hours or up to 24 hours until firm.
• Remove the torte from the tin, then carefully peel off the strip of paper and transfer to a serving plate.
• Dot the chocolates on top.
• Spoon the reserved caramel-cream mixture into a small food or freezer bag.
• Snip off the tiniest tip of the corner to make a very small opening, then squiggle lines of caramel over the top.
• Chill until ready to serve.
• Scatter with a pinch or two of sea salt before serving, then thinly slice.