Chocolate Walnut Torte

Chocolate Walnut Torte

Ingredients

Topping

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafer cookies (38 cookies)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, melted

Cake

2 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Filling

1 1/2 cups whipping cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Chocolate Leaves, if desired
5 to 6 fresh nonpoisonous (unsprayed) leaves
(such as lemon, grape or rose leaves or pliable plastic leaves)
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips or 1 oz semisweet baking chocolate
1/2 teaspoon shortening

Directions

Heat over to 350°F. Place cooking parchment paper or
waxed paper in bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans. In
medium bowl, mix walnuts, crushed cookies, brown sugar &
butter until crumbly. Spread about 3/4 cup mixture in
each pan; reserve remaining mixture. In large bowl, beat
all cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30
seconds, scrape the bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3
minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour about 1 1/4 cups
batter over topping in each pan; refrigerate remaining
batter. Bake about 20 minutes or until tops spring back
when touched lightly. Immediately remove from pans to
cooling rack; peel off paper. Repeat with remaining
topping mixture and batter. Cool completely. In chilled
large bowl, beat whipping cream, granulated sugar and
vanilla with electric mixer on high speed until stiff.
Place 1 cake layer, walnut side up, on serving plate;
spread with about 3/4 cup of the filling. Repeat with
remaining layers and filling. Or place whipped cream
for top layer in decorating bag fitted with star tip
number. Pipe rosettes in center of cake; garnish with
chocolate leaves. To make chocolate leaves, wash and
dry leaves. In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate chips
and shortening over low heat, stirring constantly.
Using small brush, brush chocolate about 1/8 inch
thick over backs of leaves. Refrigerate at least 1
hour until firm. Peel off leaves, handling as little
as possible. Cover and refrigerate torte about 4
hours or until chilled. Store in refrigerator.

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