French Chocolate Pecan Torte

Its been a month that I have posted a new recipe. The reasons are many for not posting, topping the list is my laziness :). Anyway the time has come for me to wake up and make something. November is a special month for me, some of the most important people in my life are celebrating their birthday in November and that includes my husband, my amma and my sis in law. So i made this especially for all the birthday babies :).

A little info about this desert, although this recipe is French, the torte actually originates from Germany and tends to be very rich cake-like desert. ( source: Everyday Cookery, Baking Book). Though the recipe says that its a cake – like desert, i thought its more like a pudding.

1. Plain dark chocolate chopped – 200 gm
2. Butter diced – 150 gm
3. Large eggs – 4
   Caster sugar – 100 gm
   vanilla essence – 2 tsp
4. Pecans, finely ground – 125 gms
5. Ground cinnamon – 2 tsp
6. Pecan halves, lightly toasted – 24, to decorate

For the Chocolate glaze

1. Plain dark chocolate chopped – 125 gm
   Butter, diced – 60 gm
   Clear honey – 2 tbsp
   Ground cinnamon – 1/4 tspPreheat the oven to 180 degree, 10 minutes before baking. Lightly butter and line a springform tin with non stick baking paper. Wrap the tin in a large sheet of tinfoil to prevent water seeping in. Melt the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool. Using an electric whisk, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence until light & foamy. Gradually beat in the melted chocolate, ground nuts and cinnamon, then pour into the prepared tin. Set the foil-wrapped tin in a large roasting tin and pour in enough boiling water to come 2 cm/3/4 inch up the sides of the tin. Bake in the preheated oven until the edge is set, but the centre is still soft when the tin is gently shaken. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

   For the glaze, melt all the ingredients over a low heat until melted and smooth, then remove from the heat. Dip each pecan halfway into the glaze and set on a sheet of non-stick baking paper until set. Allow the remaining glaze to thicken slightly.Remove the cake from the tin and invert. Pour the glaze over the cake, smoothing the top and spreasding the glaze around the sides. Arranged the glazed pecans around the edge of the torte. Allow to set and serve.

Notes: The baking time is approximately 20 -25 minutes. You can store this in fridge for upto 3 days. If stored in fridge, microwave it for 20-30 seconds before serving.