Maple-Pecan Torte (With Bourbon)
- Ready In:
- 4hrs 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 23
- Serves:
-
14
ingredients
- 1 cup pecans, chopped medium fine (about 4 ounces)
- unsalted butter, and
- all-purpose flour, for cake pans
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1⁄4 cups sugar
- 1 1⁄4 cups maple syrup
- 4 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1⁄2 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon maple flavoring
- 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 2⁄3 cups of sifted cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
- 5 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1 orange slice
- 3 tablespoons Bourbon
-
Maple Buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups maple syrup
- 1⁄2 cup egg white, at room temperature (4 to 5)
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Bourbon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
directions
- heat oven to 350°F.
- Spread chopped pecans on large baking sheet.
- Toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
- Remove nuts from oven; set aside to cool.
- Maintain oven at 350°F.
- Lightly butter and flour 2 straight-sided 10 inch round cake pans.
- Line bottoms with ungreased kitchen parchment or waxed paper.
- On medium speed, beat 1 cup butter in large bowl until fluffy.
- Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar.
- Continue to beat until very fluffy.
- Increase speed to high.
- Pour in 1 cup of the maple syrup in thin stream, beating all the while.
- Beat egg yolks into the butter mixture, one at a time, beating and scraping sides of bowl with rubber spatula after each addition.
- Beat in orange zest, maple flavoring and vanilla.
- Sift cake flour, baking powder and soda onto waxed paper or bowl.
- Sift together one more time; set aside.
- Beat egg whites and salt in large grease-free bowl with clean beaters on medium speed until soft peaks form.
- Increase speed to high and beat until stiff but not dry.
- Beginning and ending with the flour mixture, fold it and egg whites alternately in butter mixture, sifting the flour over the butter mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time and then folding it into mixture.
- The flour will take 5 additions.
- The egg whites 4 additions.
- Fold gently--Do not over mix.
- Pour batter in prepared cake pans and smooth surface with gently with rubber spatula.
- Bake in center of oven 25 to 30 minutes or until inserted wooden pick comes out clean.
- Remove pans from oven. Let layers cool in pans on wire rack 8 minutes.
- Unmold layers onto wire racks, let cool completley.
- Place layers in plastic wrap on baking sheets in freezer until semi frozen, about 45 minutes.
-
While cake is in freezer make Maple Buttercream:
- Combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup maple sugar in a heavy saucepan.
- Add orange slice and bourbon.
- Heat, stirring constantly over medium-high heat to boiling.
- Boil gently 1 minute.
- Remove from heat. Discard orange slice.
- You should have about 1/3 cup of syrup.
- Trim brown crusts from top and bottom of each semi-frozen cake layer; discard trimmings.
- Cut each layer horizontally in half with long serrated knife.
- Brush sides of layers with syrup.
- Sprinkle remaining syrup over surface of each layer.
- Place one layer, syrup side up on plate.
- Spread with Buttercream.
- Stack second layer on top with syrup side up.
- Spread with Buttercream.
- Repeat with next 2 layers--do not put Buttercream on top of last layer.
- Place a baking sheet on top of cake.
- Place a one 1-pound weight (can of fruit or a bag of rice) on top of baking sheet.
- Refrigerate 15 minutes to compress layers.
- Remove cake from refrigerator. Remove weight. Remove baking sheet.
- Spread remaining Buttercream over top and sides of cake.
- Press toasted pecans evenly over sides of cake.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
-
Maple Buttercream:
- Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy; reserve.
- Heat maple syrup in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat to boiling.
- Cook without stirring until syrup reaches firm ball stage or candy thermometer reaches 244°F (31 to 32 minutes), watching to see syrup doesn't boil over.
- You should have about 1 cup.
- When syrup reaches soft ball stage (238 degrees to 240 degrees or 22 minutes), begin beating egg whites with salt in large grease-free bowl with clean beaters on medium speed until stiff but not dry (7 to 8 minutes.
- Continue to beat.
- Add hot syrup in thin streams, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula once or twice.
- Continue to beat mixture until it has reached room temperature and no longer feels warm (10 to 15 minutes).
- Increase speed to high.
- Beat in one fourth of the reserved butter about 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Then beat in remaining butter by tablespoons.
- Scrape down sides.
- Beat in bourbon and vanilla.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Jane from Ohio
United States