Walnut-Blackberry Torte with Mocha Buttercream
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts (6 oz)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (less than 1 envelope)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3/4 cup strained blackberry preserves (from 1 cup with seeds)
- Mocha buttercream
- Special equipment: a pastry bag fitted with an 3/4-inch plain tip
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Butter a 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan and line bottom with wax or parchment paper.
- Butter paper.
- Pulse walnuts in a food processor until finely chopped (do not allow to become a paste) and stir together with flour in a bowl.
- Beat together butter and 1/3 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
- Add yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla.
- Stir in nut mixture by hand.
- Beat egg whites with salt with cleaned beaters in another bowl at medium speed until they hold soft peaks.
- Add remaining 1/3 cup sugar and beat at high speed until whites just hold stiff peaks.
- Stir one fourth of whites into batter to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
- Spread batter evenly in baking pan, smoothing top.
- Bake in middle of oven until center is set and top is pale golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool cake in pan on a rack.
- Cover cake with an inverted baking sheet, then invert cake onto it and remove paper.
- Reinvert cake onto a cutting board.
- Trim about 1/4 inch from each side of cake with a sharp knife, then cut cake crosswise into 4 equal rectangles (each about 9 by 3 1/2 inches).
- Line baking sheet with wax or parchment paper and transfer cake to baking sheet, arranging layers side by side, touching.
- Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl and let stand 1 minute to soften.
- Heat strained preserves in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until warm, then add gelatin mixture and stir until dissolved, about 2 minutes.
- Remove bowl from heat and set in a larger bowl of ice water.
- Cool, stirring occasionally, until cold, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Spread jam evenly over cake layers and chill until set, about 1 hour.
- Reserve the nicest-looking cake layer for top.
- Put 1 cake layer, jam side up, on a cake platter and spread with 1/3 cup buttercream.
- Top with second cake layer, jam side up, and spread with 1/3 cup buttercream.
- Top with third layer, jam side up, and spread with 1/3 cup buttercream.
- Top with reserved cake layer, jam side up.
- Frost sides of cake with about 1 cup buttercream.
- Transfer remaining buttercream to pastry bag and pipe a decorative border around top edge of cake.
walnuts, flour, unsalted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, unflavored gelatin, water, blackberry preserves, mocha buttercream, pastry
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/walnut-blackberry-torte-with-mocha-buttercream-104579 (may not work)