Chocolate Torte

So, I'm finally posting the recipe for THE chocolate torte... It is very simple - but you really do have to follow the directions (imagine that!) It is EXTREMELY rich -- this torte fed 6 adults (2 of them missionaries - if you know what I mean) and 4 kids with a small slice left over!  

 (I line the bottom of the spring form pan with cooking spray AND parchment paper - yep, trace it, cut it... so much easier in the long run!) 

Torte Ingredients: 

10 oz. semisweet chocolate (use good quality - like Ghirardelli. Use the chocolate chips then you don't have to cut it up!)
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
5 large eggs (room temp!!! Leave them out a while or microwave them 30 seconds at a time)
1 1/4 c. sugar
5 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Turn oven to 325. Grease a 10" springform pan with 2 3/4" high sides. Stir in chocolate and butter in saucepan over low heat until smooth.

 Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until well blended and beginning to thicken.

SIFT flour and baking powder over eggs and FOLD in (you don't want to lose the volume of the eggs). 

Gradually fold in chocolate mixture.

 Transfer batter to prepared pan. 

Bake 20 minutes then cover with foil and bake about 25 to 30 minutes longer (until tester comes out with moist crumbs still attached - I find this can be more like another hour but it depends on your oven!). 

Uncover cake, cool in pan on rack. (It will look like above photo when it's first pulled out and then start to collapse like the photo below). Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Level by pressing sides down (basically smooshing down the sides to make it all one level. I use a flat meat tenderizer I have - use whatever you have - bottom of a cup?) Release pan sides. Cool and freeze for 1-2 hours (don't cover - sometimes I leave it in the freezer overnight if I'm not serving it until the next day). 

Remove bottom and place on a cake round (or plate that will fit). Cover with ganache and then freeze uncovered until the ganache is hard and then pre-slice (if you want - it's definitely easier to slice if it's frozen!) and serve!

Ganache: 

3/4 c. heavy cream

8 oz (good quality) semi-sweet chocolate.

Heat together until smooth. Pour on torte and smooth over until covered. Seriously, people will think you're some kind of pastry chef for making this. You probably want to serve it with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream just to offset the richness of the chocolate.