Showing posts with label valentine's day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label valentine's day. Show all posts

Friday, February 25, 2011

mocha brownie torte

this recipe was recommended to me by a fantastic cook, and i made it as a surprise for valentine's day. it was perfect, b/c the dinner i made was a bit more complex and this recipe is very very simple.  it didn't end up actually being a surprise, since conroy's a sneak who peeked in the fridge. so, i should warn you if you want to surprise someone with this, it takes up a far bit of space in the refrigerator.
it's the whipped cream flavor that really makes this "cake". although, next time i try it i'm going to add some crunchy peanut butter to the brownies, instead of walnuts. (but, i gotta say , the walnuts worked out well). 
w/o the frosting on top.
 

ingredients:
1 package of fudge brownie mix
1/4 cup of water
2 eggs
1/2 c chopped nuts
1 1/2 c chilled whipping cream
1/3 c brown sugar
1 tbs instant cofee
shaved chocolate


heat oven to 350.  grease and flour two round 9X1 1/2 inch layer pans.
mix brownie mix with eggs and water, stir in nuts. 
spread in the pans and bake for 20 min. (this makes the brownie's more cake-like. if you want more standard brownies, add 1/4 c oil to the mix).   take out, let cool for about 5 min, and then cool the cakes (on wire racks, or what have you) until room temperature or cooler.
in a *chilled* bowl, beat the cream until it begins to thicken. gradually add the sugar and coffee until it's stiff.  
fill the layers with ~1 c  of the whipping cream mix.  add the remaining to the top of the torte (i didn't do this part until i served it up). sprinkle with chocolate shavings and chill for at least an hour. 
a variation of this recipe that i am definitely going to try is adding maple to the whipped cream mixture. what can i say, i'm a mainer and i'm a sucker for some family-made maple syrup.