Mexican Torte Recipe
Ingredients
Pastry Layers
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup dry cocoa powder (not a mix)
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup cold water
Filling
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup 10X (confectioners' powdered) sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup heavy cream
Chocolate Curls
Directions
1. Make pastry: Sift flour, sugar, cocoa and salt into medium-size bowl; cut in shortening with pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle water over; mix lightly with a fork just until dough clings together and leaves side of bowl clean.
2. Divide in half; roll, one half at a time, into a 9-inch round about 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured pastry cloth or board. (Use the stand-up ring, not base, of a 9-inch springform pan as a guide. Pastry shrinks a bit in bakjing and when rounds are spread with filling they should just fit into the springform pan.) Place on un-greased cookie sheets.
3. Bake in hot oven (425°) 8 minutes, or until firm; remove carefully from cookie sheets; cool on wire racks.
4. Make filling: Melt unsweetened chocolate with butter or margarine in top of double boiler over simmering, not boiling, water; beat in 10X sugar, instant coffee, cinnamon, salt and egg until smooth with electric mixer at high speed. Continue beating vigorously, keeping pan over simmering water, 1 minute; remove from heat.
5. Empty bottom of double boiler; fill with ice and water; return top. Beat mixture for about 1 minute, or until slightly cool, then beat in cream gradually' until mixture is fluffy and spreadable. (This will take 5 minutes.)
6. Put cake together: Place one baked pastry layer in bottom of a 9-inch springform pan; spoon filling on top; spread evenly almost to edge; top with remaining pastry layer; chill overnight. (The filling will soak into pastry layers just enough to soften them.)
2. Divide in half; roll, one half at a time, into a 9-inch round about 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured pastry cloth or board. (Use the stand-up ring, not base, of a 9-inch springform pan as a guide. Pastry shrinks a bit in bakjing and when rounds are spread with filling they should just fit into the springform pan.) Place on un-greased cookie sheets.
3. Bake in hot oven (425°) 8 minutes, or until firm; remove carefully from cookie sheets; cool on wire racks.
4. Make filling: Melt unsweetened chocolate with butter or margarine in top of double boiler over simmering, not boiling, water; beat in 10X sugar, instant coffee, cinnamon, salt and egg until smooth with electric mixer at high speed. Continue beating vigorously, keeping pan over simmering water, 1 minute; remove from heat.
5. Empty bottom of double boiler; fill with ice and water; return top. Beat mixture for about 1 minute, or until slightly cool, then beat in cream gradually' until mixture is fluffy and spreadable. (This will take 5 minutes.)
6. Put cake together: Place one baked pastry layer in bottom of a 9-inch springform pan; spoon filling on top; spread evenly almost to edge; top with remaining pastry layer; chill overnight. (The filling will soak into pastry layers just enough to soften them.)