Thursday 22 August 2013

there's always room for dessert


This is not the first time I made this awfully delicious and decadent chocolate torte. I baked one for my better half's birthday a few months back. Ever since I have taken the first bite, I couldn't seem to get it off my mind...

well, just like any home bakers, we don't need to wait for a special occasion to bake a cake...and,

....there is always room for dessert ;)



This rather rustic, crackly, sunken chocolate cake may look similar to one of my favourate classic chocolate cakes, but take a closer look. Do you notice the black layer at the bottom? It is actually an oreo biscuit base just like the crust of a cheesecake. When I first saw the recipe while browsing a copy of the Delicious magazine, I knew this is the cake to bake for my husband. He is an oreo fiend and what's more, he has two other oreo buddies at home!



Although a picture speaks a thousand words, this photo doesn't do this cake justice, unless one can lick it off the screen. It is dense and yet has a very delicate, velvety smooth texture...'melt-in-your-mouth' are the closest words that I could think of to describe it. Believe it or not, the crunchy crust, which keeps falling off even when the cake was cooling on the rack, is extra icing on the cake!



The original recipe suggests to serve this cake with whisky cream(whipped cream infused with liquor)...but I opted for a scoop of ice cream. I always keep a tub of vanilla ice cream in the fridge, it goes well with most cakes and desserts and it's certainly a fuss-free option than having to whip up a few dollops of cream.



I scaled down the recipe which is meant for 22cm pan to fit my 18cm loose-bottom pan. Some how, looking at the ingredient list, it doesn't use that much fat or sugar...at least the amount is still within my limits. In any case, I follow the rule of eating every thing in moderation. We don't have to feel sinful to indulge once in while ;)



So, what are you waiting for? Happy Baking!



Rich Chocolate Torte

Ingredients:
(make one 18cm cake)

150g oreo cookies
40g melted butter

180g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
50g unsalted butter
50ml coffee
2 egg yolks
45g cake flour

2 egg whites
90g caster sugar

icing sugar (or cocoa powder) for dusting


Method:
  • Line the bottom of an 18cm round pan (with removable base) with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
  • Remove the cream from the oreo cookies. Crumb the cookies, either with a rolling pin or in a food processor. Place the crumbs and the melted butter in a bowl. Mix thoroughly with a spoon until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly into the base of the prepared pan. Use the back of the spoon, smooth out the crumbs and press firmly. You can also use a glass (with a flat base) to press down firmly. Leave to chill in the fridge for at least 30mins.
  • Melt chocolate and butter over low heat in a saucepan, stir to combine. Add the coffee, stir to combine. Remove from heat. Let cool.
  • With a balloon whisk, whisk egg yolks gently. Add in the melted chocolate/butter mixture. Whisk to combine. Sieve over the flour and whisk to combine. Set aside.
  • In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with a handheld electric mixer on low speed until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Add half of the sugar amount and turn to high speed and beat the mixture. Continue to add in the remaining sugar and beat until the egg whites reaches the soft peak stage. The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites curl over and droop slightly. The egg whites should appear smooth and glossy. (Do not over beat the whites still stiff, it is better to beat the whites still soft peaks for easy folding with the yolk batter.)
  • Add 1/3 of the egg white to the egg yolk mixture. Fold in with a balloon whisk to loosen the batter. Add the remaining egg white in 2 separate addition, change to a spatula and each time fold in gently, making sure all the egg whites are incorporated into the batter. (Note: take care not to deflate the batter. The finished batter should fill up the pan to at least 3/4 full.)  
  • Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Tap the cake pan lightly on tabletop a few times to release any trapped bubbles in the batter. 
  • Bake in preheated oven at 160 degC for 40 ~ 45 mins, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumb. 
  • Remove cake from oven, leave it in the pan for about 5mins. Unmould and let cool on wire rack. Dust with icing sugar (or cocoa powder) as desired. Serve with whipping cream or a scoop of ice cream. The cake is best eaten at room temperature. If stored in fridge, bring the cake to room temperature before serving.
Recipe source: adapted from Delicious magazine

31 comments:

Baking Scientist said...

Hello HHB, yes it does look like your chocolate torte :) it looks like cheese cake with the oreo base :)

PH said...

So gorgeous! I can't help admiring your cake and I will have to agree there will always be room for dessert!

BakingTray said...

YUM!!!! This has just been saved to go on my never ending to-bake-list :) I saw the dark base of the cake and thought, is it burnt? hehe.. sorry! ><

The Experimental Cook said...

Noooo! You make me drool!

Cuisine Paradise said...

Hi HHB, your chocolate torte is so beautiful!!! Going to try this over the weekend :)

Anonymous said...

Hi hhb, judging by how u gushed abt the cake, it must be Really gd! Wish i could eat a slice off the screen :-D

mj

Angelic Heart~ said...

i love your description on the chocolate torte, unable to resist 'melt-in-mouth'chocolate cake.

Kimberly said...

It looks so delicious...

Unknown said...

This looks really great :) especially with the ice cream
http://kupcakesbykim.blogspot.co.uk/

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB

I do not have enough dark chocolate. For the remaining, can i use chocolate which is about 55% to make up.

Thank you.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, yes, you can use 55% chocolate. Happy Baking and hope you will like this cake as much as I do :)

Michelle said...

Hi, I tried making the cake but it is super deflated. Guess I did not handle the e meringue well. Is e cake and oreo base very crumbly? I am the one who asked abt the % of chocolate above.

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Michelle, sorry to hear about the mishap. The cake and oreo base is not crumbly. You need to press the oreo crumb down firmly onto the base of the pan. You can use any good quality dark chocolate. I have tried with 55% valrhona and 60% bittersweet Ghirardelli chocolate.

Michelle said...

Thanks! The cake will dislodge from the oreo usually and the oreo becomes very crumbly? So it could mean I did not press firmly?

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB, I really enjoy reading your blogs over the years! Need some advice from you regarding the oven you're using, as I'm thinking of getting the same model you bought in late 2010.. to replace mine that produces uneven bakes regularly. What has been your experience using it these past years, esp. when baking? Some feedback on pros & cons will be most helpful.. thanks in advance for your generous sharing all this while.. LS

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Michelle, the cake shouldn't dislodge from the oreo...the oreo should be 'chunky' instead of crumbly...

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi LS, so far I am satisfied with the performance of my oven. Please do note that I am no professional baker, I don't expect very high standard of my bakes and I don't bake delicate bakes or cakes that require precise oven temperature or a high end oven in order to achieve the best results.

My oven also has hotspots if I use top and bottom heat without the fan. but with the fan mode, the heating is more even. I use top and bottom heat (without fan) to bake chiffon cakes and simple cakes (like this chocolate torte) and the cake is evenly browned, there is no need to rotate the pan halfway. However, if I were to bake a batch of muffins, some of them tend to brown more than the rest. I only use the fan mode if I need to bake in two trays like pizza or cookies.

My oven is the cheapest range and the most basic model. It doesn't come with self cleaning function so the sides got stained the very first time I used it to roast chicken. luckily the stains are not visible unless I shine a torchlight on it ;) I do need to clean the oven every time I use it for roasting. Other than that, the temperature is quite stable (still advisable to use an oven thermometer to ensure it is preheated to the right temp).

hope this helps.

Anonymous said...

Dear HHB, I baked this marvelous cake yesterday evening, hubby & kids loved it :) Thanks a lots for the great recipe! However, I noticed the cake was a little dry.. I used a 20cm cake tin though cos I don't have a 18cm cake tin. Could this be the reason? The butter for your Classic Chocolate Torte is much more (150g chocolate & 100g butter) as compare to this recipe..50g only.. did you reduce the butter amount for this recipe? Perhaps I should double the amount if I would like to have a taller cake. How much time do you reckon I should increase? Thank you very much in advance! :) Sally

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Sally, I didn't reduce the butter amount. Could it be the oven temperature? Was it too high? Sorry I am not sure how to adjust the baking time if you were to double the amount...maybe you can check every 5mins after the cake has baked for 35-40mins of baking?

Anonymous said...

Hi, is it okay to substitute the cake flour with all-purpose flour?:)

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi, it should be ok to replace it with all purpose flour.

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB I would like to bake this cake this Friday but I'll only be serving it on saturday night. Do you recommend that I keep the cake in the fridge after it cools or can it be kept at room temperature? Will the Oreo base soften on the second day? Thank you!

Cheers,
Butterfingers

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Butterfingers, you can either leave it in the fridge and leave it in room temperature. the oreo base will not soften. If left in the fridge, please bring it out at least 30mins before serving to let the cake soften. However, do note that I have made a slight change to the recipe from what I have originally posted. I have added in coffee this time after one reader commented that the cake was dry. The original recipe calls for expresso coffee but I didn't use it initially. I am not able to detect much difference though. Do take note of your oven temperature and baking time so as not to over bake it. Hope this helps.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the prompt reply! All the best to your son's PSLE��
Cheers,
Butterfingers

khatereh said...

I baked it very yummy, thankyou for recipe

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB

I had also refer to another post(10 june 2011) which involve different composition of ingredients--for chocolate torte cake.
Is it possible to bake the chocolate torte cake with oreo biscuit base(22 august 2013) by following the recipe in 10 June 2011 and add the oreo base?
-->As I do not have 50ml coffee.

Which cake do you refer?? If comparing the chocolate portion of the cake, does both cake taste the same(10 june 2011 & 22 august 2013) ?

Thank!! ;)
Newbaker

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi Newbaker, both are good, I like both. If you prefer to make the classic chocolate torte (posted on june '11) it is not necessary to make the oreo base. That cake is nice one its own.

Anonymous said...

Hi HHB

My family like the oreo base. If I follow the above recipe(2013), is it compulsory to add coffee? As I do not have any coffee :(

sry for disturbing again

New baker

Happy Homebaker said...

Hi New baker, I have not tried omitting the coffee so I am not able to comment. You may try replace with water but I am not sure whether the taste or texture of the cake will be affected.

JT said...

How should I scale up the recipe for a 9 inch pan?

Happy Homebaker said...

the original recipe calls for a 22cm pan and the ingredients amount is as follows:

300g oreo cookies
70g melted butter

300g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
80g unsalted butter
100ml coffee
3 egg yolks
75g cake flour

3 egg whites
150g caster sugar

hope this helps.