This is my variation of Sunset’s Italian Chocolate-Chestnut Torte. I’ve used chestnut vanilla spread instead of marrons glacées: the Clément Faugier’s brand can be found in European specialty shops, as well as at Whole Foods Market. Moreover, I prefer a graham cracker crust over the cookie crust here, as it’s less sweet.
By the way, it’s okay if the top of the torte develops small cracks during baking. It’ll sink down and crack a bit more as it cools, too.
The creamy, lightly nutty goodness of this torte is superb with tea or coffee. You can garnish a slice with a dollop of whipped cream, but it’s really quite tasty on its own.
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped. Guittard and Valrhona are excellent choices.
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
- 7 ounces ricotta cheese, at room temperature
- 1 small can (approximately 8 ounces) of sweetened vanilla chestnut spread
- 2 ounces brown sugar
- 1/4 cup unbleached white pastry flour, sifted
- 2 tablespoons rum
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1 graham cracker crust
- (optional) 1 to 2 tablespoons pine nuts
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave. It should take 2 to 3 minutes; pause every 30 seconds to stir.
- Put the mascarpone, ricotta, chestnut spread, brown sugar, flour and rum into large bowl and beat at high speed until well mixed.
- Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl. Add the egg yolks and beat again until well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture.
- Pour the filling into the graham cracker crust. Sprinkle the top with pine nuts, if desired.
- Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes until the filling has set; the surface should have a semi-matte appearance, rather than glossy. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
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