Holiday Tortes

 A different kind of cake to think about for holiday baking is a torte. It's a denser , more flavorful version of a cake and somewhat easy to create. it's an elegant sweet, perfect for any holiday table.

What is a torte exactly? It is a rich dense multilayered cake, usually made from ground nuts or breadcrumbs.Unlike a regular cake there is very little to no flour added.They're usually covered in a rich frosting and can be filledd with buttercream, whipped cream, jams or fruit. The Germans and the Austrians are best known for them, namely in the famed Black Forest Cake. This is chocolate and ream cake filled with whipped cream and cherries. The layers are made with ground walnuts and cocoa.This is one of the newest recipes to the sort, having been invented in the Spring of 1930. The actual sweet can from Eastern and Central Europe before becoming a standard in Viennese coffee houses. Many home bakers do shy away from them probably for two reasons. The first is that it does need a Springform pan fro some recipes. Sometimes spring form cakes can turn out to be flops The second reason is that it's labor intensive. It used to be both home and professional bakers had to grind the nuts (I remember my Mom doing this for her Black Forest torte. Nowadays though walnut and almond flours can even be had at Wal-mart. As for the breadcrumbs - Italian or French bread will give the torte its' best texture.Many recipes do call for regular flour to give the cake a silken crumb.

A torte can be an exciting and delicious treat to make. There are so many variations to choose from. The Black Forest is one of the  most popular and the first many home bakers choose.Some actually start off with a flour based cake but this really isn;t authentic. Use ground hazelnuts mixed with baking powder for the gateau or cake part.The filling is fresh or frozen pitted cherries cooked into a syrupy filling. Cornstarch is added to thicken it to a jam consistency. Depending on the recipe the layers are doused with kirsche a heady cherry liqueur made in Germany. It's assembled and frosted with fresh whipped. cream. The torte is liberally dusted with shaved dark chocolate and decorated with cherries.It's a show stopper for any holiday dinner or even dinner party. Another great torte is the Austrian Sacher torte. This is a mouthwatering marriage of apricot and chocolate.what gives the three tiered cake its' lightness is the addition of egg whites. The bite is airy and light.The filling is strained apricot preserves the fruit has t be removed (unless you want a chunky filling which would give it a more intense apricot flavor).Let it air dry and then pour the melted chocolate glaze over it and let the icing set. For a true Viennese experience serve with cups of strong coffee.

Think tortes instead of cakes for this holiday season.They're different but just as delicious. THey're also impressive , creating a sight , showing off your baking talent.