Tasty Tuesday - The Case of the Disappearing Strawberry Walnut Torte

I love summer. The awesome fruits and vegetables that are in season. Peaches, cherries, grapes, apricots, and strawberries. Okra and squash, oh my!!

I usually eat several cases of strawberries each year. They are awesome all alone, or with whipped cream. So when I stumbled across a recipe for a torte, I knew the addition of strawberries would make this an awesome experience.

And awesome it was. The heavens opened up and the angels rejoiced.  Until I discovered a pile of dishes to wash. Baking can get so...dirty.



Strawberry Walnut Torte - Awesomeness!

The list of suspects:

Strawberries, Vanilla, Walnuts, Strawberry Preserves, Eggs, Cream Cheese, baking powder, salt, heavy cream, flour and sugar.

Crank up the fire. We want to bake those suspects! 350* should do it. Grab some parchment paper, and line those pans, then spray and lightly flour (or use Baker's Joy) to make the suspects easy to remove. Toast your nuts. Toast them until they are lightly toasted and nutty smelling. Your kitchen should smell like you have stumbled into a walnut farm.

Beat your whipped cream. To make things go faster, freeze your bowl and your beaters before hand, but you can be like me and whip your cream until the cows come home because you forgot this handy dandy time saver.

Make sure you get stiff peaks. Not wimpy peaks. You want to beat in into submission...or you know....stiff peaks.



Wimpy! Wimpy Wimpy!                          Stiff  Stuff!

In another bowl, beat the eggs and the sugar (and attempt to make a face with the eggs and said sugar). Add vanilla and beat. In another bowl add the rest of your dry ingredients. Fold the egg mixture alternately into the dry ingredients with the whipped cream. Pour into the prepared pans. Mixture is fairly thick, don't panic, it will all work out in the end.

For frosting: beat cream until stiff peaks form. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt until all mixed together. Make them become friends. Beat them into submission. Fold in the whipped cream. Using a long knife, or dental floss, or whatever tool you think might cut the cake in half without causing you to weep.

Place a cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup of frosting. Add a layer. Top with whipped cream and half of the preserves. Then wash, rinse, repeat. Without the washing and rinsing.

Frost the rest of the cake. Arrange the strawberries over the top. And if you had way too many like I did, arrange them on the sides, on the bottom, the top, pretty much everywhere they will stick. Then those preserves you saved, well melt them in the microwave and brush them over the top of the strawberries. It makes a glaze and it just adds an extra layer of strawberry yumminess.

Poke the whole thing in the fridge until your ready to serve. Make sure you let everything set up some before you serve it, as the longer it sits out the more....melty it becomes. Then it becomes more like a strawberry pudding with cake. I let it sit out while I took the pictures and taste tested the awesomeness and it wasn't pretty.

Enjoy!



Strawberry Walnut Torte

3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted and cooled
1/4 cup plus 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

FROSTING:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1 jar (12 oz) strawberry preserves
4 cups halved fresh strawberries

Crank up the fire to 350*. Line the bottom of two 9 inch round baking pans with parchment paper; grease and flour paper. Add the walnuts and 1/4 cup sugar into a food processor; pulse until nuts are ground and crumb like. In a small bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. (Hint: For less beating time, place bowl and beaters in freezer and then whip!) Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the eggs and remaining sugar until thick and lemon colored; add vanilla. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and walnut concoction. Fold into egg mixture alternately with whipped cream.

Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then remove the paper and place on wire racks. Let the torte's cool completely.

To make the frosting: in a small bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt until blended. Fold in the whipped cream.

Using a long serrated knife (or dental floss), cut each cake horizontally in half. Place one layer on a serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting . Top with a second cake layer. Save 2-3 tbsp. preserves for later. Spread half of the preserves on top of cake, but leave a 1/2 inch area around the edge bare. Repeat the layers.

Frost the sides of the cake with the remaining frosting. Arrange the strawberries over the top of the cake. In the microwave, melt the reserved preserves (10 second intervals and stir until glaze like consistency), brush over the strawberries. Refrigerate until serving.

Note: don't leave setting out for too long, as the frosting starts to "melt" and things get interesting.

Enjoy!