Recipe for "choc-nut-torte"

NAME

     CHOC-NUT-TORTE - Rich chocolate dessert for Passover
     This is the only Passover dessert I've ever tasted  that  is
     good enough to be making during the rest of the year as well
     (when you can use corn starch instead of the potato starch).

INGREDIENTS (Serves 12-16)

          TORTE
     180 g     butter or margarine
     150 g     sugar
     7         eggs, separated
     120 g     bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
     100 g     unblanched almonds, finely ground
     2.5 ml    baking powder
     25 g      unblanched almonds, chopped
          ICING
     4         eggs, lightly beaten
     2.5 ml    potato starch
     120 g     bittersweet chocolate, melted
     120 g     margarine, softened
     50 g      almonds, finely ground

PROCEDURE (TORTE)

          (1)  Cream the butter and gradually beat in  the  sugar
               until the mixture is light and creamy.
          (2)  Beat in the yolks, one at a time.
          (3)  Blend in the chocolate, and  gently  fold  in  the
               ground almonds mixed with the baking powder.
          (4)  Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry,  then
               fold into the mixture.
          (5)  Pour into a  well-greased  25-cm  springform  pan.
               Bake  about 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 175
               deg. C degrees.
          (6)  Allow to cool, then frost thickly with  the  icing
               and sprinkle with the chopped nuts.

PROCEDURE (ICING)

          (1)  Mix together the eggs, sugar and potato starch  in
               the  top  of  a  double boiler.  Heat over boiling
               water, stirring, until mixture thickens.   Do  not
               boil   the  mixture,  and  beware  of  ``scrambled
               eggs''!
          (2)  Cool, then stir in the chocolate.
          (3)  Gradually beat in the butter, one tablespoon at  a
               time.
          (4)  Fold in the nuts until the mixture is thick enough
               to spread.

NOTES

     If you don't have a springform  pan  for  Passover,  use  an
     aluminum  disposable  cake  pan and just strip off the sides
     when the cake has cooled.

RATING

     Difficulty: moderate.   Time:  30  minutes  preparation,  30
     minutes  baking, 5 minutes frosting.  Precision: measure the
     ingredients.

CONTRIBUTOR

     Tovah Hollander
     UCLA Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Los Angeles, California USA
     {ihnp4!sdcrdcf,seismo!hao}!cepu!tovah