This is a surprisingly delicious cake–I must admit. I was fairly skeptical when I pulled together the ingredients. But the result is moderately low in fat (well as low as a chocolate cake can be) and still yielded a rich, delicious and moist torte. So if you’re looking for something to serve during Passover, here is one tasty experiment in unleavened goodness.
You will need:
1/2 cup matzo meal
1/3 cup walnuts
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup grated peeled apple, preferably Red Delicious
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
8 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine matzo meal and walnuts in a food processor; process until nuts are finely chopped. Spread on a baking sheet and toast for about 5 to 10 minutes. The toasted nuts and matzo meal mixture will be fragrant.
Whisk eggs, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until blended. Stir in the matzo mixture, apple, cocoa and chocolate.
Beat egg whites and salt in large, clean bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form.* Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating until glossy and stiff peaks form.*
Stir one-quarter of the beaten whites into the batter. Gently fold in remaining whites with a rubber spatula. Scrape the batter into an ungreased 9-inch springform pan, spreading evenly. Tap pan lightly on counter to release air bubbles.
Bake torte until top springs back when touched lightly and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. With a knife, loosen edges of torte. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. (Torte is supposed to sink in the center).
Remove pan sides and place torte on a serving platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve.
Valorie’s Definition of Soft and Stiff Peaks
Raise your beaters out of the mixture. Soft peaks are when there are little mountains form, but the top folds over. If the little mountains sink back into the mixture very quickly–they’re not quite soft peaks yet. If the little mountains follow your beaters out of the mixture and stand there–they’re too stiff.
Other Articles on Passover:
Passover Cleaning: Work for Us, Fun for Kids
Talk about Passover Seder Customs here!
Valorie Delp shares recipes and kitchen tips in the food blog, solves breastfeeding problems, shares parenting tips, and current research in the baby blog, and insight, resources and ideas as a regular guest blogger in the homeschooling blog. To read more articles by Valorie Delp, click here.
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