Cake 1 -- Chocolate Hazelnut Torte

This is from page 34 of Cocolat. Oddly enough, I noticed that this cookbook, which originally retailed for about $35.00 in hardcover when issued in 1990, has since shot up to at least $100 and up to $200 on Amazon, even with "small chocolate stains inside" ($125). Guess that's the power of small print runs of very good books. CTM suggests that this demonstrates the pragmatism of his book-collecting hobby.

Cake took 35 minutes from beginning of assembly to oven.
3 bowls are required:
Bowl 1: 6 oz chocolate ( I used TJ's 70% dark chocolate Pound Plus. 6 oz is approximately 13.5 squares), 6 oz butter (1 1/2 sticks) melted in the microwave on 50% power. Starting with frozen butter, this took approximately 5 minutes (with intermittent stirring).

Bowl 2: Beat 4 egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until pale yellow and thick. Add contents of Bowl 1, 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts, and 1/4 cup flour.

Bowl 3: Beat 4 egg whites with 1/8 tsp cream of tartar on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar and beat on high speed until stiff but not dry. Bowl 3 must be very clean and free of grease (I re-washed mine before use).

Fold 1/4 of Bowl 3 into Bowl 2 to lighten, then add all of Bowl 3 and fold gently until combined.

Pour into 9x2 round pan and bake at 375 F for 40-45 minutes.

Results: In my own oven at 375 F in a 9x2 round pan, this was done after about 38 minutes. Furthermore, she wasn't kidding about the 8x3 round pan in the original recipe (which I guess I'll have to pick up one of); the batter overflowed, though just barely, forming a funky lip all the way around the cake.

Taste: Because this cake is designed to stand alone rather than to be filled with creams and syrups, it has a fairly heavy moistness burden to carry. The edge of the cake is on the dry side, but the interior is sufficiently moist. The flavor is fairly bittersweet chocolate. Not much hazelnut flavor shines through, and the hazelnut meal adds a somewhat gritty texture that I don't entirely care for. More than good enough for company, but not perfect. The chocolate flavor is too dark to be a crowd-pleaser. Next time I would use chocolate chips or add more sugar.

Structure: This is fairly springy and resilient, though I'm not sure how it will hold up under five or six similar layers; the sides bow out when pressed too hard with the cake pan. Probably best on its own.

Verdict: No go. Flavor too dark, texture too gritty, and architecture too boring. My coworkers will like it, though.

From this cookbook, I also plan to test the Gateau Grand Marnier on page 76, the Lutèce on page 80, the Pavé D'Amour on page 91, and the Celebration Cake on page 120. All of these cakes involve layers of sponge and buttercream and syrup, which I may prefer to the simpler Chocolate Hazelnut Torte.