How to Make Italian Chocolate Torta! | Bake Along w/ Anna Olson

Recipe below—bake along! For the true chocolate lover! Making this cake is similar to making a brownie, except that whipped egg whites are folded in before baking. The result is a cake that is more delicate and refined than a brownie but still intensely chocolaty. This flourless, rich, single-layer chocolate cake hails from Ferrara in the Emilia region of Italy and is known as Torta Tenerina. -------- • Recipe • Makes one 9-inch (23 cm) torte Serves 12 to 16 Prep Time: 20 minutes, plus chilling Cook Time: 25 minutes Note: This cake collapsing in the centre as it cools is expected. After 20 minutes of baking, the centre of the cake will appear very fluid still, but don’t be tempted to bake it any more than 5 minutes longer. If you do, the outside of the cake will be dry and crumbly once cooled. The large quantity of chocolate in the recipe needs time to cool and set, which is why the cake will seem underdone when you pull it from the oven. The cake will keep, well wrapped, in the fridge for up to 4 days. Pull the cake from the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to serve it. -------- • Ingredients • 12 oz (360 g) dark baking/couverture chocolate ⅔ cup (160 g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces ⅔ cup (140 g) granulated sugar ½ cup (60 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder 2 Tbsp (16 g) cornstarch or potato starch ½ tsp fine salt 2 Tbsp (30 mL) 2% milk 4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature -------- • Directions • 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and coat the sides of the pan with sugar, tapping out any excess. 2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a metal bowl placed over a pot of barely simmering water, stirring constantly until melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool while preparing the other ingredients. 3. *Combine the dry ingredients*. Whisk the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch (or potato starch) and salt together to remove any lumps in the cocoa. Using a spatula, stir this mixture into the melted chocolate followed by the milk. Add the egg yolks to the chocolate and stir again. The mixture will be a thick paste. (In a recipe that includes flour, I typically sift the dry ingredients before adding them to the batter. Here the coarse granulated sugar easily breaks down any lumps in the cocoa powder when you whisk everything together. That means no sifting is needed—and one less tool to use and wash.) 4. *Whip the egg whites and fold into the batter*. Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the egg whites on high speed until they hold a medium peak when the beaters are lifted. Fold the whites into the chocolate in two additions, folding well after each one. The egg whites will deflate a little as you fold them in. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and gently spread to level the batter. 5. Bake the cake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cake is set just an inch (2.5 cm) around the edge but is still very jiggly in the centre. Cool the cake completely in its pan on a rack; the centre of the cake will immediately begin to collapse. Chill the cake for at least 2 hours. Remove from the pan to serve.