Inside Out German Chocolate Torte Food

INSIDE-OUT GERMAN CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch springform pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the paper; set aside. Place chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, and set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted; set aside.
• Sift together flour and salt; set aside. Place sugar and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Add vanilla and chocolate mixture, and stir to combine. Add dry ingredients, and stir to combine. Divide batter between the two pans using an offset spatula to distribute batter evenly, and smooth the layers. Bake until the center is set, about 20 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool completely before unmolding.
• Place one layer on a 9-inch cardboard cake round. Spread filling over the layer, and invert the second layer onto the top, leaving the smooth side up. Press down gently on top layer to evenly distribute filling to edges. Using a metal spatula, smooth filling flush with sides of cake. Refrigerate until ready to glaze.
• Carefully transfer torte off cardboard round onto a wire rack set over a baking pan. Pour enough ganache glaze over cake to fully coat, shaking pan gently to help spread ganache if necessary. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes. The ganache in the pan may be melted and strained through a fine sieve and added back to glaze. Pour remaining glaze over torte, allowing excess to drip off sides. If top is not smooth, gently shake pan or run an offset spatula quickly over surface. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving. Carefully slide the cake off of the wire rack and onto serving platter.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.
• Beat cake mix, water and eggs in medium bowl with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds; beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Pour into pan.
• Bake 48 to 58 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool 30 minutes. Freeze cake uncovered about 1 hour 30 minutes or until firm.
• Cut cake horizontally into 6 layers. Heat chocolate and coffee over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted. Stir in cognac; cool.
• Beat whipping cream in chilled medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Fold chocolate mixture into whipped cream.
• Spread 1/2 cup whipped cream mixture between each cake layer. Frost sides and top of torte with remaining whipped cream mixture. Refrigerate at least 8 hours before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

Steps:

• For the Cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until darkened slightly and fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly, then finely chop.
• Brush a 10-to-15-cup Bundt pan with butter; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a saucepan, stir together shredded coconut, cream of coconut, and 2 tablespoons flour. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and boil 30 seconds. Remove from heat, stir in pecans, and let cool completely. Meanwhile, stir together milk and vinegar; let stand until curdled, about 5 minutes.
• In a bowl, whisk together remaining 2 cups flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, beat butter with sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and beat in flour mixture in three additions, alternating with milk mixture, and beginning and ending with flour, just until combined. Beat in chocolate.
• Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth top with a spatula. Spoon coconut mixture evenly on top of batter in a ring, leaving an approximately 1/2-inch border all around sides and center. (It will sink down into the batter as the cake bakes.)
• Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in center of cake layer comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 20 minutes. Invert cake onto rack; let cool completely.
• For the Glaze: Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a simmer. Pour over chocolate; let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth (don't whisk or vigorously stir, which can create air bubbles in finished glaze).
• Let stand until thickened slightly but still warm and thin enough to pour, about 5 minutes. Pour evenly over top of cake; let stand until set, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a cake stand or plate; slice and serve, or loosely tent with foil and store at room temperature up to 2 days.

INSIDE OUT GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Make cake layers:
• Preheat oven to 350°F and oil 3 9 inch cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with rounds of parchment or wax paper. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Whisk together whole milk, butter, whole egg, yolk, vanilla, and almond extract in another large bowl until just combined. Beat egg mixture into flour mixture with an electric mixer on low speed, then beat on high speed 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and beat in water until just combined (batter will be thin). Divide batter among cake pans (about 1 1/2 cups per pan) and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans and rotating them 180 degrees halfway through baking, until a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes total.
• Cool layers in pans on racks 15 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove parchment or wax paper and cool layers completely.
• Make filling:
• Reduce oven temperature to 325°F
• Spread coconut in a large shallow baking pan and pecans in another. Bake pecans in upper third of oven and coconut in lower third, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12 to 18 minutes. Remove pans from oven.
• Increase oven temperature to 425°F
• Pour condensed milk into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate and cover tightly with foil. Bake milk in a water bath in middle of oven 45 minutes. Refill baking pan with water to reach halfway up pie plate and bake milk until thick and brown, about 45 minutes more. Remove pie plate from water bath.
• Stir in coconut, pecans, and vanilla and keep warm, covered with foil.
• Make glaze while milk is baking:
• Melt butter in a 3-quart saucepan. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate and corn syrup, whisking until chocolate is melted. Transfer 1 cup glaze to a bowl, reserving remaining glaze at room temperature in pan. Chill glaze in bowl, stirring occasionally, until thickened and spreadable, about 1 hour.
• Assemble cake:
• Put 1 cake layer on a rack set over a baking pan (to catch excess glaze). Drop half of coconut filling by spoonfuls evenly over layer and gently spread with a wet spatula. Top with another cake layer and spread with remaining filling in same manner. Top with remaining cake layer and spread chilled glaze evenly over top and side of cake. Heat reserved glaze in pan over low heat, stirring, until glossy and pourable, about 1 minute. Pour glaze evenly over top of cake, making sure it coats sides. Shake rack gently to smooth glaze.
• Chill cake until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer cake to a plate.
• Cooks' notes:
• • Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
• • For easier handling when assembling cake, place bottom layer on a cardboard round or the removable bottom of a tart or cake pan.

GERMAN CHOCOLATE SPONGE CAKE: SCHOKOLADE BISKUITTORTE

Steps:

• FOR THE CAKE: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F Butter a 9-inch springform pan, and line the bottom with a round of parchment or wax paper. Dust the inside of the pan with flour, tapping out the excess flour.
• Combine the eggs and sugar in a bowl of a heavy duty electric mixer. Place the bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water over medium heat (the water should not touch the bowl.). Whisk until the eggs are very warm to the touch and the sugar is dissolved (rub a bit of the egg mixture between your fingers to check for grains of sugar). Attach to the mixer and fit with the whisk. Beat on medium high speed until the mixture is tripled in volume and very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the milk and vegetable oil until hot to the touch (about 120 F.). Pour into a medium bowl and stir in the vanilla.
• Sift the cake flour, cocoa, and salt together. Sift HALF of the cocoa mixture over the egg mixture. Using a large balloon whisk, fold in the cocoa mixture. Sift the remaining cocoa mixture over the batter and fold. Whisk a large dollop of the batter into the milk mixture. Fold this mixture back into the batter. Pour into the pan and smooth the top.
• Bake until the top springs back when pressed in the center and the sides are barely beginning to shrink from the pan, about 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan, invert onto the rack, and remove the bottom of the pan and the paper. Reinvert the cake onto another rack, right side up. Cool completely.
• Make ahead: The cake can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, covered tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 1 month.
• FOR THE SWEETENED WHIPPED CREAM: Pour the cream into a well chilled bowl and add the sugar and vanilla. Using an electric hand mixer or balloon whisk, beat the cream to the desired consistency. For soft peaks, the cream will be just thick enough to hold its shape in soft billows. For stiffly beaten cream, the beaters or whisk wires will leave distinct traces in the cream and stand in firm peaks when the beaters are lifted.
• Make ahead: The cream can be whipped up to 1 day ahead, covered tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerated. If liquid separates from the cream, whip it again to incorporate the liquid.
• Kaffeehaus.Rick Rodgers.

GANACHE GLAZE

Steps:

• Chop the chocolate finely using a serrated knife; place in a large heatproof bowl.
• Bring the cream to a boil over medium-high heat; pour directly over the chopped chocolate. Allow to sit 10 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to gently stir the chocolate and cream until well combined and smooth. Let sit at room temperature until cooled and just thickened, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes but up to 1 hour, depending on the temperature of the room.