Passover Big Apple Torte Food

PASSOVER APPLE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and lightly oil an 8-inch square glass baking dish.
• In a small bowl, mix together the walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon.
• In a large bowl with a stand mixer or handheld mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs until well combined. Beat in the sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing until the mixture is thick and foamy. Beat in the oil, adding it in a steady stream. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the spatula, stir in the matzo cake meal, blending well. The mixture will be VERY thick.
• Spread half the cake mixture in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle about half the topping mixture evenly over the batter. Arrange half the apples on the batter, making layers if you need. Sprinkle with the raisins. Scrape the remaining batter over the apples, spreading it out to cover the apples. Arrange the remaining apples on the batter and sprinkle evenly with the remaining topping mixture.
• Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the sides of the cake pull away very slightly from the baking dish and the topping has begun to caramelize. (A cake tester is not reliable. It will not come out clean due to the moist richness of this cake.)
• Let the cake cool in the baking dish for several hours until room temperature before cutting it into serving portions. This cake is yet another Yiddish food that improves with age. Keep the cake in its dish, covered tightly with plastic, and the next day the topping will have become a moist, candy-like coating.

APPLE CAKE FOR PASSOVER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Dust a greased 13x9-in. baking dish 1/4 cup matzo meal; set aside., In a large bowl, combine apples, 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon; set aside. In another large bowl, beat eggs until slightly thickened. Gradually add remaining sugar, beating until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in oil and water. Combine potato starch and remaining matzo meal; add to egg mixture and mix well., Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Top with apples and remaining batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. If desired, top with whipped cream.

PASSOVER CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan with foil. Grease foil.
• Melt margarine and chocolate over low heat. Stir until smooth and let cool.
• In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat whites until stiff; about 2 minutes. In a separate bowl, beat together yolks and sugar until thick and pale; about 1 minute. Blend in chocolate mixture and stir in almonds. Fold in beaten whites, 1/3 at a time, into chocolate until no streaks of white remain. Scrape into prepared pan.
• Place an 8 inch baking pan with 1 inch of water in it on the bottom rack of the oven (to make the torte more moist).
• Bake torte on center rack at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 to 50 minutes, or until sides begin to pull away from pan and top is set in center. Cover the torte loosely with foil for the last 20 minutes of baking. Note: Don't worry if the cake cracks because the top will be on the bottom later.
• Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes and then carefully remove sides of pan. Invert onto a serving plate and cool completely.

PASSOVER CHOCOLATE TORTE WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line bottom of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with parchment paper. Stir chocolate and margarine in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cool until lukewarm.
• Using electric mixer, beat yolks and 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl until pale and very thick, about 4 minutes. Add chocolate mixture in 2 additions and beat until well blended. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in another large bowl until foamy. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar and beat until whites are stiff but not dry. Fold 1/3 of whites into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining whites in 2 additions. Transfer batter to prepared pan.
• Bake torte until crust forms on top and tester inserted into center comes out with some moist batter and some moist crumbs still attached, about 55 minutes (top may crack). Run small sharp knife around torte to loosen. Cool in pan on rack (torte will fall and crack). Remove pan sides. Invert torte onto platter. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome and store at room temperature.)
• Grind 1/3 cup sugar in blender until fine powder forms. Place doily atop torte. Sift ground sugar over doily; gently remove doily. Garnish torte with raspberries, if desired. Serve with Raspberry Sauce.

PASSOVER 'BIG APPLE' TORTE

Steps:

• Set oven rack at middle of oven; preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat egg yolks until thick and pale, add sugar gradually. Beat until very thick.
• In a small bowl, sift together matzo cake meal and potato starch. Add to yolk mixture alternately with apple juice, beginning and ending with matzo mixture and blending after each addition.
• Add lemon rind and vanilla. Beat until combined well.
• In a separate bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks.
• Stir ½ cup of the beaten egg whites into the apple juice mixture. Fold in remaining egg whites gently but thoroughly.
• Pour into pan; spread evenly. Arrange apple slices on top, overlapping them slightly.
• In a small bowl, stir together 1 T. sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over apples.
• Bake about 50 to 55 minutes or until golden and cake tester comes out clean.
• Let cool in pan on a wire rack.

PASSOVER CHOCOLATE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line the bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan with foil.
• Grease the foil.
• Melt the margarine and chocolate over low heat or in the microwave.
• Stir until smooth and let cool.
• In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, about about 2 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, beat together the yolks and sugar until thick and pale, about 1 minute.
• Blend in the chocolate mixture and stir in the almonds.
• Fold in the beaten whites, 1/3 at a time, into the chocolate until no streaks of white remain.
• Scrape into prepared pan.
• Place an 8 inch baking pan with 1 inch of water in it on the bottom rack of the oven (to make the torte more moist).
• Bake the torte on center rack at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes, or until sides begin to pull away from pan and top is set in center.
• Cover the torte loosely with foil for the last 20 minutes of baking.
• Note: Don't worry if the cake cracks because the top will be on the bottom later.
• Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes and then carefully remove sides of pan.
• Invert onto a serving plate and cool completely.
• You can top with whipping cream or dust with confectioner's sugar if you want.

PASSOVER CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottom of a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan with parchment paper.
• Break up or chop the chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl with the butter or margarine. Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and allow the chocolate and butter to melt, stirring occasionally. When everything has melted, remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• In the meantime, put the egg yolks in a large bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, whip the egg whites to very firm peaks, about 5 minutes.
• When the melted chocolate mixture has cooled, add it to the egg yolks, along with the sugar, and whisk well.
• Using a rubber spatula, stir about one-third or less of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Carefully spoon another third of the egg whites on top of the chocolate mixture and gently fold them in. Add the remaining whites and fold them in just until incorporated.
• Transfer half of the batter to another bowl and set aside in the refrigerator.
• Pour the remaining batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes: it will turn into a soft, moist cake. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the pan.
• When the cake has reached room temperature, pour the reserved chocolate mousse on top of it. Refrigerate the mousse cake, uncovered, for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until set.
• When you're ready to serve, run a sharp thin-bladed knife around the cake's edges and then remove the sides of the springform pan. Peel the paper from the bottom, and place the cake on a serving platter. Serve cold, decorated with chocolate shavings, if desired.
• Leftover cake will keep in the refrigerator, wrapped in aluminum foil, for a couple of days.