Coconut Pecan Torte

From General Foods Corporation, publication year 1963. An elegant dessert; layers of ladyfingers and extra rich pudding buttercream. This is not the usual torte, it is more like a charlotte. The rich filling is a cooked pudding buttercream reminiscent of the classic French buttercream that uses whipped eggs cooked with a hot sugar syrup; & once cooled butter is whipped in. This recipe is almost no cook. The only cooking is the cooking of the pudding. Everything else is assembly and chilling time. You can use any brand ingredients (even store brands). This is a brand name publication so it calls for it's own brands. The buttercream is so good you could even use it to frost a cake. Double or triple the buttercream for a cake if you wish. You could use different flavors of pudding, leave out the coconut and pecans and make any number of buttercream flavors (chocolate, butterscotch, etc.) to frost any cake. This cake would have to be stored in the refrigerator, and brought to room temperature to serve. I use aluminum foil to line the pan, not waxed paper, too difficult to work with. And I do not use Dream Whip. I toast the pecans before chopping. One cup of heavy whipping cream, whipped is what I use to garnish the torte. And I use half a vanilla bean & not the almond extract.

• Ready In: 5 mins
• Serves: 12-18
• Yields: 1 Torte

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/4ounce) package  jello vanilla or 1 (3 1/4ounce) package  coconut cream pudding and  pie filling, Cook & Serve, not instant
• 1 1⁄2 cups milk
• 24  ladyfingers, split
• 1⁄4 cup  orange juice
• 2⁄3 cup  softened butter
• 2 1⁄4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1⁄8 teaspoon  almond extract
• 1⁄2 cup  very finely chopped pecans
• 2  cups  baker's fine-grated coconut, toasted
•  prepared  Dream Whip (optional)

Directions

1. Prepare Jello Pudding as directed on package, using only 1 1/2 cups milk. Remove from heat. Cover surface with plastic wrap and cool. Line an 8-inch square dish or pan with several layers of wax paper, allowing paper to extend as 2-inch tabs above edge of dish.
2. Line bottom and sides of dish with some ladyfingers. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons orange juice.
3. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Alternately add sugar and cooled pudding; then add almond extract, pecans, and coconut.
4. Spread about a third of mixture on ladyfingers. Arrange half of remaining ladyfingers on mixture. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon orange juice. Top with another layer of pudding mixture. Add remaining ladyfingers, orange juice, and pudding mixture in that order. Top layer should be pudding. Chill thoroughly, at least 4 hours. Grasp paper tabs to remove from dish. Lift onto serving platter; slide wax paper from underneath. Garnish with prepared Dream Whip, if desired. Makes 12 large or 18 small servings.
5. Note: The 12 to 18 servings is as the recipe is written. I have found that 9 servings from an 8-in pan is what I like to serve. Four hours cooking time is actually chilling time.