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Martha Stewart's Flourless Chocolate Walnut Torte

Dense, fudgy and irresistibly chocolaty, is the best way to describe Martha's Flourless Chocolate Walnut Torte from her latest baking book, 'A New Way to Bake'.  This cake is the perfect dessert to serve for any kind of special occasion, especially if your guests love chocolate.  Because it is a flourless cake which relies on over half a pound of chocolate to make, it is important to choose a good-quality chocolate.

The cake is almost like eating a luxurious truffle, except that it is lighter and exceptionally richer.


I couldn't wait to start making this cake over the weekend when I saw the recipe, because I wanted something that wasn't going to be too demanding for my aunt's visit.  The batter came together on top of a double boiler, much like a brownie recipe, and was then poured into a prepared cake pan for baking.   

No need for a mixer! 


Martha says that the cake is best made ahead of time and chilled before serving, so that's exactly what I did.  After chilling for several hours in the refrigerator, I unmolded the eight inch layer onto one of my jadeite cake stands (Martha by Mail) for serving.


OK, so I took some liberties with the chocolate topping.  Instead of using the two ounces of chocolate called for in the recipe, I doubled it and added a few drops of peppermint oil to the chocolate to give it that irresistible mint flavor. All of it was poured over the cake and was smoothed out with a small offset spatula.

A sprinkling of ground walnuts is what the recipe asks you to add, but I thought a sprinkling of multicolored dragées would make my aunt's cake even better.  Everyone loved it.


Wedges served on old Fire King jadeite and a few cups of strong coffee made the ending of our meal pretty sweet. 


I can't tell you how perfect this cake is to serve for anyone who can't have gluten in their diets, for the chocolate aficionados in your life and/or for those who claim not to like sweets.  Everyone will want a slice of Martha's Flourless Chocolate Walnut Torte if you display it on one of your nicest cake stands and keep it within eyesight of your get together.  As I said, a cup of strong coffee or espresso is all you need to accompany the dessert.

Happy Baking from Martha's latest book!

Comments

  1. Looks delicious. Is this the recipe?

    http://www.marthastewart.com/1062416/flourless-chocolate-walnut-torte

    I don't see a recipe link in your post and I'd like to make it this weekend. Thanks David!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wasn't aware that this recipe already existed online! Yes, it's the exact same recipe!! :)

      Delete
  2. Whoop! Whoop! I will make it based on your review and your photos! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The cake looks delish! I can't wait to get my copy of the cookbook!

    ReplyDelete

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