Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Ginger, Almond and Dark Chocolate Torte
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
1 hour
40 minutes
4 hours
Serves:
One 20 cm (8 in) torte, 12 slices
Tasha created this dish for Great British Bake Off ™ Series 14. The judges endorsed the concept outright, calling the pairing of ginger with dark chocolate clever, and the ginger itself landed with real heat. This corrected version keeps both, delivering the spice through three vehicles — ground gin...
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Ingredients
FOR THE SPIRIT BASE:
100 ml ginger wine, to be reduced to 30 ml
1 tbsp (15 ml) amaretto
FOR THE TORTE:
175 g unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for the tin
200 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
5 large eggs, separated
150 g caster sugar
150 g ground almonds
25 g cornflour
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
50 g stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped and patted dry
FOR THE ALMOND PRALINE:
100 g blanched almonds
100 g caster sugar
2 tbsp water
A pinch of flaky sea salt
FOR THE PRALINE GANACHE:
150 ml double cream
200 g dark chocolate (55% cocoa solids), chopped
60 g praline paste (from the almond praline above)
20 g unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp amaretto
FOR THE POURED GLAZE:
100 ml double cream
1 tsp glucose syrup
100 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
FOR THE GINGER MASCARPONE:
200 g mascarpone, cold
100 ml double cream, cold
30 g icing sugar
1 tbsp stem ginger syrup
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp ground ginger
EQUIPMENT:
20 cm (8 in) springform tin, small saucepan, heatproof bowl, electric whisk or stand mixer, large metal spoon or spatula, food processor, lightly oiled baking tray, instant-read thermometer, piping bag with star nozzle, palette knife, wire rack
Method
STEP 1: REDUCE THE GINGER WINE
Pour the 100 ml of ginger wine into a small pan and simmer over a medium heat until it has reduced to about 30 ml and turned syrupy at the edges. Take it off the heat and leave to cool. Do not skip this: everything the ginger wine was carrying stays behind, and three-quarters of the water leaves.
STEP 2: PREPARE THE TIN AND OVEN
Line the base of a 20 cm springform tin and butter the sides. Heat the oven to 170C conventional (150C fan). Set the shelf in the middle and check that it is level.
STEP 3: MELT THE CHOCOLATE AND BUTTER
Melt the chopped 70% dark chocolate with the 175 g of unsalted butter over barely simmering water, or in short bursts in the microwave with a stir between each. Set aside to cool to blood temperature.
STEP 4: WHISK THE YOLKS
Whisk the egg yolks with 75 g of the caster sugar until pale, thick and holding a ribbon. Beat in the cooled chocolate, then the reduced ginger wine and the single tablespoon of amaretto.
STEP 5: FOLD IN THE DRY INGREDIENTS
Stir together the ground almonds, cornflour, ground ginger, cinnamon and fine sea salt, then fold them into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the chopped stem ginger. The batter will be thick; that is correct.
STEP 6: WHISK THE EGG WHITES
In a spotlessly clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then rain in the remaining 75 g of caster sugar and whisk to a glossy medium peak. Do not take them to stiff peaks: stiff whites tear the batter and leak liquid back out.
STEP 7: FOLD AND FILL
Fold a third of the whites into the batter to slacken it, then fold in the rest in two additions, cutting cleanly and stopping the moment the streaks disappear. Scrape into the prepared tin and level the top.
STEP 8: BAKE THE TORTE
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The torte is done when the edge is set, the centre has only the faintest tremble, and a skewer withdraws with a few dry crumbs rather than wet batter. With an instant-read probe, the centre should read 93 to 96C. This is the single most important instruction in the recipe: a torte pulled early is a pudding.
STEP 9: COOL AND CHILL
Cool in the tin for 20 minutes. It will sink a little in the middle, which is normal and gives you the recess for the glaze. Turn out onto a wire rack, cool completely, then chill for at least 2 hours before finishing.
STEP 10: MAKE THE ALMOND PRALINE
Toast the blanched almonds until fragrant. Boil the 100 g of caster sugar with the water, without stirring, to a deep amber caramel. Stir in the almonds and the flaky sea salt, pour onto a lightly oiled tray, and leave until hard. Snap into shards.
STEP 11: BLITZ THE PRALINE PASTE
Blitz the shards in a food processor. They will go to a coarse rubble first, then to a paste. Keep going, scraping down, until the paste is loose and glossy. Weigh out 60 g for the ganache and reserve a handful of rubble for the finish; the rest keeps in a jar.
STEP 12: MAKE THE PRALINE GANACHE
Heat the 150 ml of double cream to just below a boil and pour it over the chopped 55% dark chocolate. Wait one minute, then stir from the centre outward until smooth. Stir in the praline paste, the softened butter and the teaspoon of amaretto. Cool at room temperature until the ganache holds a soft peak on a spoon, about the consistency of toothpaste. Chilling it hard makes it grainy when rewarmed; rushing it makes it slump.
STEP 13: POUR THE GLAZE
Level the chilled torte if it needs it. Warm the 100 ml of double cream with the glucose syrup, pour over the chopped 70% dark chocolate, stir smooth and let it cool to just-warm. Pour the glaze over the centre of the cold torte and tilt the cake, rather than spreading with a palette knife, so it finds its own level. Return to the fridge for 20 minutes until the glaze has set matte-firm.
STEP 14: WHIP THE GINGER MASCARPONE
Whip the mascarpone, cold double cream, icing sugar, stem ginger syrup, grated fresh ginger and ground ginger together to firm peaks. Stop the moment it holds, as mascarpone splits if you push it. Fresh ginger gradually thins cold dairy, so whip this close to serving rather than hours ahead.
STEP 15: FINISH AND SERVE
Pipe the praline ganache around the rim in whatever shape you can execute consistently: twelve identical rosettes beat sixteen ambitious ones. Set a quenelle or a piped mound of ginger mascarpone on each slice and finish with a scatter of praline rubble. Serve at cool room temperature rather than fridge-cold, giving the torte 20 minutes out of the fridge to let the ginger come forward again.
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Instructions
FOR THE SPIRIT BASE:
100 ml ginger wine, to be reduced to 30 ml
1 tbsp (15 ml) amaretto
FOR THE TORTE:
175 g unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for the tin
200 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
5 large eggs, separated
150 g caster sugar
150 g ground almonds
25 g cornflour
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
50 g stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped and patted dry
FOR THE ALMOND PRALINE:
100 g blanched almonds
100 g caster sugar
2 tbsp water
A pinch of flaky sea salt
FOR THE PRALINE GANACHE:
150 ml double cream
200 g dark chocolate (55% cocoa solids), chopped
60 g praline paste (from the almond praline above)
20 g unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp amaretto
FOR THE POURED GLAZE:
100 ml double cream
1 tsp glucose syrup
100 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
FOR THE GINGER MASCARPONE:
200 g mascarpone, cold
100 ml double cream, cold
30 g icing sugar
1 tbsp stem ginger syrup
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp ground ginger
EQUIPMENT:
20 cm (8 in) springform tin, small saucepan, heatproof bowl, electric whisk or stand mixer, large metal spoon or spatula, food processor, lightly oiled baking tray, instant-read thermometer, piping bag with star nozzle, palette knife, wire rack
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: REDUCE THE GINGER WINE
Pour the 100 ml of ginger wine into a small pan and simmer over a medium heat until it has reduced to about 30 ml and turned syrupy at the edges. Take it off the heat and leave to cool. Do not skip this: everything the ginger wine was carrying stays behind, and three-quarters of the water leaves.
STEP 2: PREPARE THE TIN AND OVEN
Line the base of a 20 cm springform tin and butter the sides. Heat the oven to 170C conventional (150C fan). Set the shelf in the middle and check that it is level.
STEP 3: MELT THE CHOCOLATE AND BUTTER
Melt the chopped 70% dark chocolate with the 175 g of unsalted butter over barely simmering water, or in short bursts in the microwave with a stir between each. Set aside to cool to blood temperature.
STEP 4: WHISK THE YOLKS
Whisk the egg yolks with 75 g of the caster sugar until pale, thick and holding a ribbon. Beat in the cooled chocolate, then the reduced ginger wine and the single tablespoon of amaretto.
STEP 5: FOLD IN THE DRY INGREDIENTS
Stir together the ground almonds, cornflour, ground ginger, cinnamon and fine sea salt, then fold them into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the chopped stem ginger. The batter will be thick; that is correct.
STEP 6: WHISK THE EGG WHITES
In a spotlessly clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then rain in the remaining 75 g of caster sugar and whisk to a glossy medium peak. Do not take them to stiff peaks: stiff whites tear the batter and leak liquid back out.
STEP 7: FOLD AND FILL
Fold a third of the whites into the batter to slacken it, then fold in the rest in two additions, cutting cleanly and stopping the moment the streaks disappear. Scrape into the prepared tin and level the top.
STEP 8: BAKE THE TORTE
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The torte is done when the edge is set, the centre has only the faintest tremble, and a skewer withdraws with a few dry crumbs rather than wet batter. With an instant-read probe, the centre should read 93 to 96C. This is the single most important instruction in the recipe: a torte pulled early is a pudding.
STEP 9: COOL AND CHILL
Cool in the tin for 20 minutes. It will sink a little in the middle, which is normal and gives you the recess for the glaze. Turn out onto a wire rack, cool completely, then chill for at least 2 hours before finishing.
STEP 10: MAKE THE ALMOND PRALINE
Toast the blanched almonds until fragrant. Boil the 100 g of caster sugar with the water, without stirring, to a deep amber caramel. Stir in the almonds and the flaky sea salt, pour onto a lightly oiled tray, and leave until hard. Snap into shards.
STEP 11: BLITZ THE PRALINE PASTE
Blitz the shards in a food processor. They will go to a coarse rubble first, then to a paste. Keep going, scraping down, until the paste is loose and glossy. Weigh out 60 g for the ganache and reserve a handful of rubble for the finish; the rest keeps in a jar.
STEP 12: MAKE THE PRALINE GANACHE
Heat the 150 ml of double cream to just below a boil and pour it over the chopped 55% dark chocolate. Wait one minute, then stir from the centre outward until smooth. Stir in the praline paste, the softened butter and the teaspoon of amaretto. Cool at room temperature until the ganache holds a soft peak on a spoon, about the consistency of toothpaste. Chilling it hard makes it grainy when rewarmed; rushing it makes it slump.
STEP 13: POUR THE GLAZE
Level the chilled torte if it needs it. Warm the 100 ml of double cream with the glucose syrup, pour over the chopped 70% dark chocolate, stir smooth and let it cool to just-warm. Pour the glaze over the centre of the cold torte and tilt the cake, rather than spreading with a palette knife, so it finds its own level. Return to the fridge for 20 minutes until the glaze has set matte-firm.
STEP 14: WHIP THE GINGER MASCARPONE
Whip the mascarpone, cold double cream, icing sugar, stem ginger syrup, grated fresh ginger and ground ginger together to firm peaks. Stop the moment it holds, as mascarpone splits if you push it. Fresh ginger gradually thins cold dairy, so whip this close to serving rather than hours ahead.
STEP 15: FINISH AND SERVE
Pipe the praline ganache around the rim in whatever shape you can execute consistently: twelve identical rosettes beat sixteen ambitious ones. Set a quenelle or a piped mound of ginger mascarpone on each slice and finish with a scatter of praline rubble. Serve at cool room temperature rather than fridge-cold, giving the torte 20 minutes out of the fridge to let the ginger come forward again.
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