Walnut Torte

• servings: 12 servings
• total time: 2 hours

Ingredients

12 large eggs, separated

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup finely ground walnuts, more for garnish

1/4 cup cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon lemon zest

5 large egg yolks

1 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup milk

4 ounces German sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (8-ounces) unsalted butter, softened

Chocolate curls

Coarsely chopped walnuts

Directions

Gather the sponge cake ingredients.

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Lightly coat a 10-cup tube pan or 3 (8-inch) round pans with cooking spray. If desired, line 8-inch pan bottoms with parchment paper circles and again lightly coat with cooking spray.

Beat the egg yolks with sugar for 15 minutes with a hand mixer or in the bowl of as stand mixer until light in color.

Add nuts and mix thoroughly.

Sift together flour and baking powder, and mix into batter until thoroughly incorporated. Set aside.

In a new bowl, beat egg whites with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer on high, until stiff peaks form.

Stir 1/3 of the egg whites into the yolk batter to lighten it.

Then, gently fold in the remaining egg whites, trying not to deflate the volume. Fold in zest.

Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake for 25 minutes or until edges are just beginning to brown. Don't overbake.

Cool the cake in pan a few minutes and then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Gather the buttercream ingredients.

In a double boiler over low heat, cook egg yolks, confectioners' sugar, and milk until thick, stirring throughout.

The mixture is done when it coats a wooden spoon and leaves a trail when you run your finger through the mixture on the spoon. Remove from heat.

Mix the egg mixture with the cooled melted chocolate and vanilla. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Mix the softened butter using an electric mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixture, with the cooled egg and chocolate mixture, until light and fluffy.

Once the cake is cool, place some frosting on the top of one to create a sandwiched layer.

Stack the cakes and frost completely. Garnish with chocolate curls or nuts, if desired.