Chocolate Raspberry Torte!

(printable recipe here)

Let’s just say I had a very productive three day weekend. By productive I mean in the kitchen because otherwise I’ve been quite unproductive…unless you count trying to clear out the DVR as being productive…yah didn’t think so…

One day, about 2-3 weeks ago, I accidentally landed on the PBS channel while channel surfacing, and found one of the best public cooking show ever: America’s Test Kitchen! I should really watch PBS more often, how did I have never known this show ever existed!? The shame! Anyways, I was hooked and decided to start recording their 30 minute segments.

It’s really a great show if you’re a semi nerd (okay maybe full on nerd) like me when it comes to cooking. I like to understand the science behind everything, and this show gives me that plus more! Integrating the 2 things I like the most, science and food, what more can a person ask for?! 

Alright I think its time to stop raving about the show and move onto to what I learned from their episode on chocolates! Yup, an entire episode on chocolates! The recipe they shared? You guessed it, chocolate raspberry torte!

What I love about that recipe is not only was it easy to construct, the ingredients were simple and fresh. Don’t get discouraged with the instructions, it’s actually really easy. Watching how they made it first and then looking at the recipe made it much more approachable. Since you probably don’t have the episode handy (though maybe YouTube or PBS will have a clip), I’ll list some handy tips I saw from that episode/personal tips:

1. They used a food processor for almost everything that needed blending, beating, or mixing. How convenient for the average lazy person. It definitely shaves off time AND they didn’t have a clean processor each time either, so no worries as long as you follow the instructions. I didn’t want to dig out my food processor (which is still packed away… yes it’s been months but did I not mention I get pretty lazy..?) I used my blender instead and it works!
2. Almond meal works just fine if you don’t want to spend time grounding up your own almonds…clearly I cheated a little and bought almond meal.
3. I didn’t line the bottom of my pan with parchment paper and it came out just fine, although I did use a spring foam pan (did not leak but I’d suggest putting an extra sheet pan on the bottom just in case) and I also removed the torte as soon as it wasn’t scorching hot.
4. I used raspberry preserves with seeds instead of jam and it’s just fine as well. 

This recipe is very forgiving, so have fun with it and enjoy. How does it taste? Well, first of all, after it’s all assembled, it looks great! Second, the taste is fantastic! If you love your dark chocolate, then this is your torte; super rich and full of flavor with a hint of tart and sweetness from the raspberries. Because it calls for just a handful of ingredients it really doesn’t have anything clouding its chocolaty flavors from shining through. Enough from me raving about it; give it a try! It’s a project you’ll be proud of and people impressed by!

Please Note: This recipe is obtained from the America’s Test Kitchen website.