I did the non-gluten bit for a time, finding I craved pizza when I otherwise didn't often eat pizza. A family member (bless her) made me a non-gluten one from scratch. (Now, gluten-imbibing again, pizza has taken a back-seat once again.)
When holiday time rolled around, it was swell (don't you love that old fashioned word!) to have a dessert with no flour in it.
The recipe came from a friend back in 1957 when we were both in college. Her mother was European and had a wealth of scrumptious dessert recipes, many with whipped cream and chocolate. In that day, the only problem with this recipe was that it required getting out a meat-grinder (the kind that clamped onto the edge of a table) and grinding up a big batch of walnuts. Of course, today's food processors perform that task handily. With thanks to my dear friend, Carol, then, here is her mother's recipe.
Carol's Mother's Linze Torte
Preheat oven to 325º and cut out parchment paper to fit onto the bottom of two cake tins. Butter the sides of the pans. (I use 8" pans.)
Grind 3 cups of walnuts. (Obviously, don't pulverize them so much that you turn them into walnut butter.) Set aside.
Stiffly beat 6 egg whites.
As you beat, gradually add 1 + 1/4 c. sugar. (Best to add near the end.)
Add 1/2 t. almond extract.
And 1/2 t. vanilla extract.
Gently fold the ground walnuts into the egg mixture.
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| Folding ground walnuts into the beaten egg whites |
Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake at 325º for 25 minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the layers.
Spread currant jelly between the two layers then spread chocolate icing over the top and sides.
Icing:
Melt 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate with 2 T. butter.
Add 1/4 c. hot water, 1 c. powdered sugar, and 1 t. vanilla.
Beat until smooth and spread onto the cake.
The original recipe suggests that it be served with a dollop of whipped cream ... making it double fabulous.
To summarize, here are the ingredients you'll need:
Walnuts
Eggs
Granulated and powdered sugar
Vanilla and almond extracts
Currant jelly
Unsweetened chocolate
Butter
Whipping cream (optional)
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