Eggnog Torte
Ready In: 2 hrs 20 mins
Serves: 16
Ingredients
Torte
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1⁄2 sugar
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 large eggs
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
- 1 1⁄3 cups finely ground hazelnuts (optional)
- 2⁄3 cup milk
Eggnog
- 2 tablespoons sugar, blended with
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1⁄2 cup milk
- 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
Frosting
- 1 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
Optional decoration
- 1 -2 tablespoon chocolate sprinkles (optional)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350, liberally butter the bottom of a 10-side springform pan or spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- For the torte:
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together twice and set aside.
- Cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed for 5 minutes, till light and fluffy.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the eggs, one by one.
- Beat in the melted chocolate and if using, the hazelnuts.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry and beating by hand after each addition only enough to incorporate.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Rap the pan several times on the counter to release any large air bubbles, then bake about 1 hour and 20 minutes, till the torte begins to pull from the sides of the pan, is springy to the touch, and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool the torte in the upright pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then loosen it around the edge with a small spatula.
- Release and remove the springform pan sides and cool the torte, still on the pan bottom and cake rack, to room temperature.
- For the eggnog:
- Blend the sugar-flour mixture with the milk in a small heavy saucepan.
- Set over moderate heat and cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes, till thickened and smooth.
- Whisk a little of the hot mixture into the beaten yolk, stir back into the pan, and cook and stir over moderately low heat for 2 minutes longer.
- Remove from heat, mix in the rum extract, then pour the eggnog through a fine sieve into a metal bowl.
- Set in an ice bath and chill 15 - 20 minutes, whisking often to prevent a skin from forming on the top.
- Pour the eggnog into a plastic squirt bottle and refrigerate till ready to use. (I would think you could also use a plastic baggie with a small hole cut in one corner if you don't have a squirt bottle.).
- To frost the torte:
- set the torte, still on the springform pan bottom on a lazy susan and frost the top and sides smoothly and thinly with the whipped cream.
- Starting in the center of the torte and exerting steady but gentle pressure on the squirt bottle, apply the eggnog in a tight spiral on the top of the torte, spacing the lines about 1/2 inch apart. (I'm sure you can do this without a lazy susan - you'll just have to move the bottle instead of the torte).
- Scatter the chocolate sprinkles over the top of the torte, if you like, then transfer, still on the springform pan bottom, to a cake plate and serve.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
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