Bittersweet Mocha Grappa Torte with Walnuts

Welcome to Dicembre Dolce 2019. For many of us, this month's baking is about cookies, cookies, and more cookies. But it's not a bad idea to have a cake recipe or two at the ready, whether a plain but delicious cakefor breakfast and snacking, or something more celebratory ~ a cake for finishing a dinner party with a flourish or to put out on a fancy holiday buffet table.

This cake is pure celebration, a dense torte enriched with ground walnuts and spiked with espresso. And grappa. Both the coffee and the liqueur accentuate the fruity notes in the chocolate while also playing up its alluring bitterness. Egg whites, whipped with sugar to glossy peaks and folded into the batter, give it a mousse-like texture and create the cracked surface you see in the photo. This characteristic is why the cake is also known as a fallen-soufflé cake ~ it puffs in the oven and then heaves a sigh as it cools, settling and forming those distinctive cracks.

You need to be a tiny bit bold when making this torte, especially when folding in the egg whites and, later, when unmolding it from its springform pan once it's baked. Use a light hand for the folding, and proceed with confidence when unmolding. Don't be daunted. Believe me, I speak from experience. More than once when I have made this cake, I've had pieces of the cracked rim fall right off. Sometimes I gently put them back on; other times I just trim around the top to even it out (bonus: you get to eat the trimmings).

I've found that letting the torte cool completely in the pan before unclasping and removing the ring allows it to set enough so that the delicate rim stays in place. And, as with all challenging recipes, the more you do it the easier it becomes.

This recipe is adapted slightly from one in my second book, Big Night In. The torte is luscious on its own and needs only a dusting of confectioners' sugar at serving time, but a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream, and a classic garnish of fresh raspberries, to help cut the richness of the chocolate, would also be welcome.

By the way, this cake keeps for days (I sometimes make it a day or two ahead of time). Cover it well and store it in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature before serving.

BITTERSWEET MOCHA GRAPPA TORTE WITH WALNUTS

Makes 12-16 servings

Ingredients
8 ounces (230 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces; plus more for greasing a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan
3/4 cup (85 g) shelled walnuts
1/4 cup (35 g) farro flour, whole-wheat flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 pound (454 g) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
2/3 cup (150 g) brewed espresso or strong coffee
1/3 cup (75 g) grappa
5 large eggs, separated
1/4 tsp fine salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
Confectioners' sugar, unsweetened whipped cream, and fresh raspberries for garnish

Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Generously butter the inside of a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan, including the top rim.

2. Grind the walnuts and flour in a food processor until fine.

3. Combine the chocolate, butter, half the sugar (3/4 cup / 150 g), and coffee in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the chocolate and butter are melted and the mixture is glossy.

4. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the grappa, and then the egg yolks. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and fold in the ground walnut-flour mixture.

5. Whip the egg whites with the salt and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Increase the speed to high and gradually add the remaining e3/4 cup (150 g) sugar a spoonful at a time, beating until the egg whites hold glossy peaks.

6. Scoop 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate batter and gently fold them in with a large spatula. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites with a light hand so as not to deflate them. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

7. Bake the torte for 45 minutes, or until it has risen and just set (it should be a tiny bit wobbly at the very center). Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let it cool completely. The torte will deflate as it cools and cracks will form around the perimeter.

8. Carefully run a thin knife blade around the inside rim of the pan. Unclasp and carefully remove the ring from around the torte. Transfer the torte (still on the baking pan base) to a serving platter. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve in thin wedges with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream and raspberries.

BAKER'S NOTE
With its cracked surface, this fallen soufflé cake, as it is sometimes called, can be a challenge to unmold. I've had pieces of the edge fall off during unmolding. Be sure the baking pan is well greased before baking, and that the baked cake is completely cooled before unmolding. If pieces of the rim do fall off, just return them to their place and embrace the rustic beauty of your torte. If you prefer a neater look, you can invert the cooled cake and serve it bottom up. In this case, be sure to put a round of buttered parchment in the bottom of the springform pan before pouring in the batter.

After baking, let the cake cool. Carefully remove the ring as described in the recipe; then ever so gently invert the cake onto a serving platter. Remove the bottom of the pan and peel off the parchment; decorate with confectioners' sugar or unsweetened whipped cream and raspberries.