Chocolate Chestnut Bourbon Torte
Ingredients
6 eggs; separated
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/3 C. sugar
4 Tbsp. bourbon
2 tsp. bourbon
2 1/2 C. pureed unsweetened chestnuts
3/4 C. ground pecans
Pecan pieces for garnish
2 tsp. instant coffee
6 Tbsp. chilled butter; cut into small pieces
1 1/2 ounces bitter chocolate; chopped
3/4 pound bittersweet chocolate
3 1/2 C. whipping cream
1/2 C. confectioners’ sugar
Cooking Instructions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 nine-inch cake pans. Beat 6 egg yolks well. Stir in 1 1/2 C. sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. bourbon, then blend in 2 C. chestnut puree. Stir in ground pecans. Whip egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Fold whites into the batter. Divide the mixture between the two cake pans and bake for 25 minutes. Cool on a cake rack, then remove from the pans. Filling – Beat the 2 egg yolks with 1/3 C. sugar. Add instant coffee and 1 Tbls. hot water. Beat chilled butter into mixture, then add 1/2 tsp. bourbon and remaining 1/2 C. chestnut puree. Stir in chopped bitter chocolate. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Melt bittersweet chocolate with heavy cream over low heat. Stir in 2 Tbls. bourbon, transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. To assemble the cake, spread the chilled chestnut filling atop one cake layer and cover with the other. Cover the torte with the chocolate icing and sprinkle the top with chopped pecan pieces. Chill before serving. Meanwhile, prepare a bourbon chantilly to pass at the table. Whip the 2 C. of cream to soft peaks, gradually beat in the confectioner’s sugar and then fold in 2 Tbls. bourbon.
My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” (Psalms 42:3)