Nut Torte with Lemon Parfait – GF

Around this time of year, post Purim I confess I become a little crazy – Pesach/Passover centric. This seems to be true of most every female I know, if not the male of the species. Hmmmm, I wonder why.

I know, I know, it’s only 7 days (for us Israelis) but part of the reason we all freak out is that in essence, you are completely emptying out your house and restocking it as though you’ve just moved in. But you have to clean it. Since unless you are really moving in to a new house, it’s bound to have chametz somewhere…

I immediately start with cleaning rooms for Pesach even before Purim since, thank the good G-d, I have a cleaner. It somewhat calms my nerves but then you say, so, what are we gonna eat?

I’m happy to say that over the years I’ve come up with a number of menus to de-stress and it really helps you feel more in control.
Please check on the webpage of the blog since I do write which recipes are Pesach appropriate and it can simplify your prep.

This recipe for nut torte is gluten free – no matzo meal anywhere in sight and no potato starch either – and it is moist and luscious and it’s also wonderful for Pesach and all year round. What could be bad?

The lemon parfait or mousse is also good for all year round, you just sub the Rich’s Whip that is Kosher for Passover with regular Rich’s Whip or if you are going all out, heavy whipping cream. The truth is, I really like the Rich’s Whip in this recipe since it is lighter tasting than the heavy cream and it has a nice smooth consistency as well.

I paired the torte and parfait since they complement each other so very well and when you plate them together, it’s more than just cake it’s a beautiful dessert fit for a holiday table. Click here for the recipe.

The nut torte can be baked in a tube pan as one big cake but I prefer baking it in two round cake tins as it’s far easier to serve and you do not have to turn it upside down to cool. It does sink a bit in the middle, fear not, this is normal and it still plates up prettily.

The torte is a very basic cake, as cakes go. It is separated eggs, I always beat the whites first to save cleaning the bowl in between, and you beat them with sugar to a nice soft fluffiness,

Note you see the mark of the whisks in the egg white but they are not glossily stiff. It takes about 5 minutes to achieve this consistency, and I use 3/4 of the sugar for this. I then scoop out the whites and set aside in a bowl.

Next beat the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar till light, also about 5 minutes. You add the whole egg to this as well.

The next part you add the baking powder. lemon peel and the nuts, gently whisking it in. The reason you add a whole egg to the yolks is to help prevent the clumping of the yolks and the nuts.

I give them a short whirl with the whisk beaters and fold in the rest with a spatula. You are trying to keep the batter fluffy. Then add in about a quarter of the beaten egg whites to further lighten up the mixture and then fold in the rest of the egg whites till incorporated nicely, trying not to deflate too much.

Pour evenly into two greased and parchment papered round cake tins (I cut out circles of parchment paper according to the size of the bottom of the tin, you don’t need to paper the sides) and bake in preheated oven till medium brown and toothpick comes out clean, 25 -30 minutes. The center will deflate a bit, that’s okay.

This cake is very moist and delicious on its own but I serve it with lemon or orange parfait which really ups its game.

Nut Torte

8 eggs, separated and

1 whole egg

1 1/2 cups of sugar, divided (i.e. 1 cup of sugar for the whites, 1/2 cup sugar for the yolks and whole egg)

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups almond meal (finely ground almonds with skins on, has a speckled look to it) OR almond flour which is a light yellow/white floury consistency, this will give you a fluffier cake

2 teaspoons baking powder

Finely grated or microplaned zest of a whole lemon or 1/2 an orange. Make sure you take the peel and not the white pith which is bitter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Separate whites and yolks saving one whole egg for adding to the yolks. Beat the whites in a clean bowl with no fat adhering (or the whites won’t beat up properly) and as they start to foam and whiten, gradually add the 1 cup of sugar and the teaspoon of salt, about 5 minutes. The whites should be fluffy but moist.

Scoop out the whites and put in a clean bowl. Next beat the yolks, whole egg and sugar for about 5 minutes till lighter in color and fluffy, add baking powder, lemon (or orange) peel and slowly add nuts with whisk beaters, and finish by stirring them in with a spatula.

Then add a quarter of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture with a spatula, to lighten the dough and then mix in the rest gently till incorporated but not too vigorously so as not to deflate the whites.

Pour 1/2 the batter each into 2 round cake tins which you’ve sprayed with oil spray and cut out a round of parchment paper for the bottom to prevent sticking. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes till browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting.

This is lovely together with the lemon or orange parfait, try it! You won’t be sorry.