Not Quite Rococo Torte – Another Gem From a Favorite Vintage Cookbook

Breadcrumbs in a cake? I’d never head of such a thing. But I had a few leftover baguette crusts in my freezer, and the memory of an amazing cake I’d made a few years back from this wonderful little vintage cookbook, Favorite Tortes and Cake Recipes by Rose Oller Harbaugh and Mary Adams.

If the authors were suggesting I use breadcrumbs in my torte, who was I to question? Besides, it was long past time to see what other gifts the book might have in store for me, other than the charming illustrations and typeface, which are a true delight.

I’m happy to report that Ms Harbaugh and Adams came through for me again, this time with a recipe for Rococo Torte with Mocha Frosting. A touch of cinnamon in the batter enhances the chocolate flavor of the not-too-sweet sponge-like cake that is filled and iced with just the right amount of mocha frosting.

What exactly is a Torte?

Ms Harbaugh and Adams tell us that tortes are “the cakes of European cooks”.  They are made light with eggs instead of leavening, with ground nuts, cracker or bread crumbs used in place of or in addition to a markedly small amount of flour. They can be filled with fruit pulp or whipped jellies, and extracts are used to flavor their whipped frostings.

Tortes are a favorite Passover dessert, since eggs rather than baking powder or soda create the leavening, and little to no flour is used. This rococo torte could be modified for Passover by substituting ground nuts for the flour and using ground matzo meal instead of breadcrumbs. (Alternatively, you can use ground nuts to substitute for both the flour and breadcrumbs.)

Why my torte is not quite Rococo

A bit of internet exploration yields evidence that the Rococo Torte recipe in my cookbook may hail from Hungary, where it is called  Rokokka Torta, and is made with a hazelnut filling and whipped mocha frosting. (Click the link to see a truly gorgeous torte!)

As I looked at the traditional Hungarian Rokokka Torta, I realized that I had used the wrong mocha frosting on my torte! The authors had actually suggested mocha whipped cream frosting, which is just what the Hungarian recipe uses. And indeed, there the right frosting was, on the same page of the cookbook as the frosting I had mistakenly made.

So it seems that my little torte is actually “not quite rococo”. But it’s simplicity makes it much less fancy than the traditional Hungarian torte, and it really is a delicious and lovely little cake.

NOT QUITE ROCOCO TORTE

• 5 eggs, separated and allowed to come to room temp before using
• 5 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp homemade bread crumbs (recipe below)
• 3 tbsp flour (cake flour if you have it)
• 2 squares bittersweet chocolate, grated or processed fine in the food processor
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• shaved chocolate for topping

Preheat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit. Butter and flour 2-8 inch cake pans. (I also lined the bottom with waxed paper.)

Beat egg whites till stiff. Set aside. Beat egg yolks till lemon-colored. Add sugar and beat well. Add bread crumbs and sifted flour and beat thoroughly. Beat in grated chocolate and cinammon. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Divide between two 8-inch cake pans and bake for 25-30 mins till done. Fill and cover with Mocha Frosting or Mocha Whipped Frosting (recipes below) Shave some bittersweet chocolate on top.

The cakes did not immediately drop out of the pan for me, even after running a spatula around the sides, so I slipped the spatula an inch or so under one side and then used my hands to remove the cake, which was light and yet remarkably sturdy. (Alternatively, you could use two 8 inch spring form pans.) Here’s what the bottom looked like after I removed the waxed paper –

and what it looked like filled and frosted –

MOCHA FROSTING

Although at first it seemed like it was not enough, this recipe makes exactly the right amount of frosting for this cake. I substituted Kahlua for the mocha extract.

• 1/3 cup sweet butter
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• 1/2 tsp mocha extract (I used Kahlua)
• 1 tbsp strong coffee (I dissolved a tsp of instant espresso into a tbsp of hot water)
• Sift sugar and cocoa

Cream butter thoroughly in electric mixer. Add sifted sugar and cocoa. Add mocha extract. Add coffee a drop at a time until spreading consistency (I used the entire tbsp of coffee).

MOCHA WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING

• 2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 pint whipping cream
• 1 tsp mocha extract

Sift sugar, cocoa and cinnamon. Whip cream. Fold in sifter dry ingredients. Add mocha extract and whip till spreading consistency.

Homemade bread crumbs

Allow frozen bread to come to room temp. Slice into 1 inch slices and lay out on a baking sheet. Heat in a 250 degree oven till dry but not brown – about 15 minutes – turning halfway through so they dry evenly. Cool, then process in food processor till finely ground. Store in a tightly capped jar in the freezer till use.