Deep Chocolate Vanilla Torte

This decedent looking cake is featured on the front cover of the October issue of Olive, it was screaming out to be made as soon as possible, if not quicker! Having Mr CN and Miss CS around for dinner tonight has been a long planned event and my original plan for dessert was tooing and froing between Donna Hay's Melting Middle Chocolate Puddings which are so easy but very effective or a chocolate mousse of some description (noticing a pattern yet?) but all that went out the window thanks to said Torte. And its so easy to make too, I made it after work last night so all I had to do was take it out if the fridge after dinner tonight, the most difficult part was trying to get the cocoa powder around the outside edge only!

Deep Chocolate Vanilla Torte

500g dark chocolate (I used milk chocolate)

550g whipping cream

1 vanilla pod, seeds only (rest of pod has been added to the sugar barrel)

2 tsp vanilla extract

Cocoa powder, to dust

Clotted Cream and Strawberries, to serve

Melt the chocolate then leave it to cool a little. Warm 3 tbsp cream with the vanilla seeds, leave to cool, then stir into the remaining cream. Whisk the vanilla flavoured cream with the vanilla extract until it forms soft peaks, then stir in half the chocolate. Fold in the remaining chocolate and pour into a clingfilm lined 17cm diameter x 6cm deep spring form tin. Using a bendy knife, sculpt the top into waves and then chill for a few hours. Remove from its tin and peel away the clingfilm. Roll or dust the sides in cocoa. Serve in wedges with clotted cream and strawberries.

Serves 12

Olive Magazine, October 2009

Apologies for the lack of photo's, it got whisked to the table and cut into man sized portions before I could even turn my camera on! This is a very rich dessert and the texture not quite as mousse like as I expected but lovely all the same, everyone really enjoyed it. Defo needs to be served in smaller portions next time.

Next time I'm going to try melting down some After 8 Mints instead of just chocolate, or maybe adding a bit of bailey's or frangelico to the mix. Also need to remember that the chocolate is very good at sinking to the bottom of the bowl once added to the cream, so even if you think its all folded in, chances are it isn't - pretty sure this is where the texture came from.