Chocolate Mint Torte

This Chocolate Mint Torte recipe takes a tasty chocolate sponge cake and fills it with a delicious mint cream mousse and layers of chocolate ganache.

Making this chocolate mint torte was definitely an exercise in flexing new baking muscles for me.

First, I'm not very good at making pretty cakes. Second, I've never made a sponge cake before.

This cake combines the flavors of chocolate and mint, which naturally go together. You bake a thin chocolate sponge cake, cut it into fourths, spread the cake pieces with ganache and mint mousse, and stack the layers on top of each other.

To make this cake, you will need a 10 inch by 15 inch jelly roll pan. I'm an avid collector of half sheet and quarter sheet pans, but on a whim years ago, I bought one jelly roll pan. You never know when you might make a jelly roll (even though making them scares the heck out of me).

This month, Sue, of Palatable Pastime, announced that the Baking Bloggers would make filled cakes, such as Bûche de Noël, cake rolls, and tortes. Tortes! These don't require rolling up a cake into a log. This I can do!

One cool thing about participating in these blogging groups is that I am "forced" to try something that I would have never considered (and use a pan that I have never used). The happy news is that I now have a new favorite dessert!

This chocolate mint torte is so tasty. My oldest grandson anointed it with his favorite word, "Duh-lish-ush!" I'm pretty proud. And it doesn't look half bad, does it?

Note: The whipped cream for the mousse calls for Instant Clear Jel to stabilize and thicken the filling. You could also use a product called WhipIt, which is a whipped cream stabilizer, or some dissolved gelatin.

After the recipe, be sure to check out the rest of the filled cakes from the rest of the Baking Bloggers. I'm pretty sure that a Bûche de Noël and a jelly roll might be in the mix. 

Yield: 12 servings

Chocolate Mint Torte Recipe

ingredients:

Chocolate Sponge Cake

• 4 large room temperature eggs
• 5 1/4 ounces (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 5/8 ounces (2/3 cup) unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 ounce (1/3 cup) Dutch process cocoa
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 3/4 ounces (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
• 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) buttermilk

Mint Filling

• 2 3/8 ounces (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
• 3/4 ounces (2 tablespoons) Instant Clear Jel (see note above)
• 16 ounces (2 cups) heavy whipping cream
• 3 to 4 drops peppermint oil
• 1 to 2 drops green food coloring

Chocolate Ganache

• 6 ounces (1 cup) semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 ounces (3/4 cup) heavy cream

instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 15 inch by 10 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper, and spritz it with spray oil. 
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the eggs until thick and pale yellow. 
3. Slowly add the sugar, salt, and vanilla while continuing to beat the eggs. 
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Fold it into the egg mixture. Fold in the oil and buttermilk. 
5. Pour the batter into the jelly roll pan and spread it evenly over the pan. Bake the cake for 8 to 15 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean from the center of the cake. 
6. Lift the cake with the parchment paper onto a wire rack to cool. 
7. To make the mint filling, stir the sugar and Instant Clear Jel together in a small bowl. 
8. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the cream on high speed until it just begins to thicken. Add the sugar mixer slowly while mixing, and continue to whip until the mousse thickens. This should take about a minute. 
9. To make the ganache, microwave the ingredients for about a minute. Whisk the ingredients until thoroughly blended, and then place the bowl in the freezer (about 20 minutes) until it thickens but is still spreadable. 
10. To assemble the cake, cut it in fourths crosswise, into 3 1/5 by 10 inch strips. Spread three of the strips with some of the ganache, reserving some for serving.
11. Divide the mint mousse into thirds and pipe it over each ganache covered strip of cake. Stack the cake strips on touch of each other, topping with the fourth, unfilled, strip of cake. 
12. Wrap the cake with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours, and up to 2 days. When ready to serve, thaw for 15 minutes, slice, and serve with the rest of the reheated ganache. 

http://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2017/12/chocolate-mint-torte-bakingbloggers.html

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

 To see the rest of the filled cakes:

• Bûche de Noël by Palatable Pastime
• Chocolate Cherry Jelly Roll by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Chocolate Mint Torte by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Easy Plum Cake by Sneha's Recipe
• Espresso Chocolate Cream Cake Roll by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Triple Layer Chocolate Mousse Cake by Hardly A Goddess