Best Cherry Almond Torte Recipes

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE-ALMOND TORTE WITH CHERRY PRESERVES AND KIRSCH MERINGUE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake: Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Whisk together cocoa and boiling water until cocoa dissolves and mixture is smooth. Stir in kirsch.
• Beat butter and 1 cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, 1 at a time, scraping down sides of bowl between additions. Add cocoa mixture and almonds, and beat until combined. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Whisk egg whites and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the clean bowl of a mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With machine running, add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and whisk until stiff peaks form. Fold one-quarter of the whites into batter, then fold in remaining whites.
• Pour batter into pan, and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and cover cake with parchment-lined foil. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool for 45 minutes. Run a knife or an offset spatula around edge of cake to loosen, and release sides of pan to remove.
• Make the meringue: Whisk egg whites and sugar in a clean heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form. Whisk in kirsch. Whisk until stiff peaks form.
• Spread cherry preserves on top of cake. Spread meringue over preserves using an offset spatula, making decorative swirls. Caramelize peaks of meringue using a handheld kitchen torch or under the broiler.

BROWN BUTTER ALMOND TORTE WITH SOUR CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the torte:
• In a small saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and continue to heat until golden brown with nutlike fragrance. (Bottom of pan will be covered with brown specks.) Cool butter to warm and stir in vanilla.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan, knocking out excess flour.
• In a food processor finely grind whole almonds with flour, 2/3 cup sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat whites with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until they hold soft peaks. Add remaining 1/3 cup sugar gradually, beating until meringue just holds stiff peaks. Fold in nut mixture gently but thoroughly. Fold in butter gently but thoroughly (batter will deflate) and spread in pan.
• Sprinkle top of batter evenly with sliced almonds and bake torte in middle of oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until it begins to pull away from side of pan and a tester comes out clean.
• Cool torte in pan on a rack 15 minutes and invert onto rack. Flip torte right side up and cool completely. (Torte may be made 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.)
• Serve cake with sauce.
• To make the sauce:
• Working over a heavy saucepan pit cherries. In pan bring cherries, sugar, and water to a boil. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to sauce, stirring. Simmer sauce 2 minutes and cool to room temperature. (Sauce may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring sauce to room temperature before serving.) Makes about 3 cups.

CHERRY-ALMOND TORTE

Steps:

• Move oven rack to lowest position (remove other racks). Heat oven to 350°F. Make cake mix as directed on box, using cold water and adding almond extract with the water. Pour into ungreased 10-inch angel food (tube) cake pan.
• Bake 37 to 47 minutes or until top is dark golden brown and cracks feel very dry and not sticky. Do not underbake. Immediately turn pan upside down onto glass bottle until cake is completely cool, about 2 hours.
• Run knife around edges of cake; remove from pan. Cut cake to make 2 layers. (To cut, mark side of cake with toothpicks and cut with long serrated knife.)
• On serving plate, place bottom layer. Spoon 2/3 cup of the marshmallow creme by heaping teaspoonfuls onto bottom layer. Spoon 1 cup of the pie filling between spoonfuls of marshmallow creme. Sprinkle with half of the almonds. Place other layer on top. Spoon remaining marshmallow creme and pie filling on top of cake, allowing pie filling to drizzle down sides. Sprinkle with remaining almonds. Store covered in refrigerator.

ALMOND BROWNIE CHERRY MOUSSE TORTE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350. Generously spray 2-8 inch round cake pans with crisco original nonstick cooking spray. Line bottoms of pans with cooking parchment paper and spray the paper with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl stir brownie mix, oil, water, eggs and almond extract 50 strokes with a spoon. Divide batter evenly between the pans.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted 2 inches from edge of the pans comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Carefully invert brownie layers from the pans onto cooling racks. Cool completely for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile finely chop cherries. In a large bowl beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, cherries and 2 teaspoons cherry juice with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Fold in the whipped topping. Refrigerate while brownies cool.
• To assemble the torte place 1 brownie layer bottom side up on a serving plate. Spread half of the cherry mixture over the top of the brownie. Top with the remaining brownie top side up and spread or pipe the remaining cherry mixture on the top.
• Sprinkle the almonds all around the edge of the torte. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Store covered in the refrigerator.