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Gingerbread
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Chocolate-Walnut Torte
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafer cookies (38 cookies)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
Dark Cocoa Cake (below)
1 1/2 cups whipping (heavy) cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate Leaves, if desired (below)
Heat over to 350ºF. Place cooking parchment paper or waxed paper in bottoms of 2 round pans, 9x1 1/2 inches. Stir together walnuts, crushed cookies, brown sugar and butter. Spread about 3/4 cup mixture in each pan; reserve remaining mixture. Make Dark Cocoa Cake as directed. Pour about 1 1/4 cups batter over mixture in each pan; refrigerate remaining batter.
Bake about 20 minutes or until tops spring back when touched lightly. Immediately remove from pans to wire rack and peel off paper. Repeat with remaining walnut mixture and batter. Cool completely.
Beat whipping cream, granulated sugar and vanilla in chilled large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Place 1 layer, walnut side up, on serving plate; spread with about 3/4 cup of the whipped cream. Repeat with remaining layers and whipped cream. Or place whipped cream for top layer in decorating bag fitted with star tip # 6. Pipe rosettes in center of cake; garnish with Chocolate Leaves. Cover and refrigerate about 4 hours or until chilled. Cover and refrigerate any remaining torte.
Dark Cocoa Cake
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup baking cocoa
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
Heat oven to 350ºF. Beat all ingredients in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
Chocolate Leaves
5 to 6 fresh nonpoisonous (unsprayed) leaves (such as lemon, grape or rose leaves) or pliable plastic leaves
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or 1 ounce semisweet baking chocolate
1/2 teaspoon shortening
Wash and dry leaves. Melt chocolate chips and shortening. Brush chocolate about 1/8 inch thick over backs of leaves, using small brush. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until firm. Peel off leaves, handling as little as possible. Refrigerate chocolate leaves until ready to use.
 Always Kiss The Cook
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