Monday, October 26, 2009

TWD: Cherry Fudge Brownie Torte tweaked



This week's recipe is available online from our gracious host, April of Short + Rose. If you own the book, Baking From My Home to Yours, you can turn to pages 284 and 285 to get the recipe instructions.



This dreamy torte originally called for dried sour cherries, Kirsch, and cherry jam. I had none of the above, so I substituted the following:

dried strawberries, I used a scant cup instead of a full cup as I was concerned about the sweetness compared to sour cherries

grenadine, no alcohol in this as it's a simple syrup made from pomegranates, so no flambe for me.

red raspberry preserves, this was the closest I had to cherry jam.

I also chose to mix semi sweet and bitter sweet chocolate, though the recipe indicates you can use either one. I had 3 ounces of bittersweet and 8 ounces of semi sweet squares, so this torte became a pantry torte allowing me to use up several ingredients I already had on hand. Always a frugal bonus!



The results were nothing short of fabulous. The brownies had a subtle strawberry flavor while the mousse topping was to die for! It does take some time, so this would make a fabulous holiday dessert. Another winner from Dorie!


30 friends stopped by:

jillbert said...

Amanda that looks fabulous! I made a tiny one, so it's nice to see the full-size version. I didn't know that grenadine was made from pomegranates. Interesting!

Chow and Chatter said...

wow you can really bake

Cakelaw said...

Your torte looks amazing Amanda - and I like the dried strawberry idea. Yum!

5 Star Foodie said...

Gorgeous! I love your substitution of strawberries!

SUGAR B said...

I love your creativity with this recipe! It looks great! :)

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

Gorgeous. Really love what you did with this.

Marie said...

Amanda, your torte looks fabulous! I didn't make this. With a chocolate hating hubby and myself not really doing desserts at all lately I just couldn't justify the expense. Doesn't stop me from drooling over yours though!! Wonderful!

natalia said...

I agree it was fantastic !!

Romaine said...

Nice job with the cocoa powder. Your first pic is fabulous.

Fresh Local and Best said...

Oh my goodness! This torta is a show-stopper! I;m impressed with the dried fruit, jams and grenadine you added. Fabulous!

Sweet and Savory said...

Yours looks beautiful. A bonus, indeed.

I want to make one of the versions of this, I am viewing. I can't rush this one though so it means I have to plan. Thanks for your version. It is a beauty.

Katrina said...

That really looks good. Looks like the brownie was nice and fudgy! You rocked this one!
I made half a recipe and made individual brownies in ramekins with my own non-fruity twist!

April said...

Thank you for baking with me this week! I'm so glad you liked it, it looks fabulous!

myfamousrecipe said...

What a good challenge to make this torte without a trip to the store. Gorgeous results!

Megan said...

So that's what it's supposed to look like! Fabulous - and yes, quite a bit of work. But the end result does pay off, so next time I might splurge and make the mousse after all.

Federica said...

wow complimenti per questa splendida torta!!! deliziosa! ciao!

Nina said...

Wow--your torte looks fabulous! Love that you used dried strawberries and raspb preserves! I skipped the fruit on this one, but would enjoy those! Definitely worth making again!

Lauryn said...

Your torte looks professional! Like it could be sold in a bakery! Love your combo of strawberries and raspberry preserves. I bet it tasted incredible!!

Heather said...

A beautiful torte, Amanda. It is so elegant. Yes, wasn't it the most divine dessert!

MaryBeth said...

It is so fabulous looking...I love your new version, it looks so moist and yummy.

Emily Rose said...

strawberries sound like a delicious substitution!! Honestly, I think any dried fruit would be wonderful because let's face it the cake itself was sooo good!! Your cake looks lovely!

pinkstripes said...

Strawberries sound like a yummy substitution.

margot said...

Beautiful torte, Amanda! I'm glad to hear the substitutions worked so well. I am really bad about not using up what I have and buying too many extraneous ingredients.

dorie said...

Amanda, the torte looks stunning and I bet the mix of chocolates with those dried strawberries was great.

Sweet as Coco said...

Oh my! Yours looks amazing~ I cut mine in half so it not as impressive as the larger size! Great idea for using up what you had--I did the same with my chocolate too ;) Glad you liked it too!

frockandfork said...

This cake looks absolutely gorgeous! I would love to be eating that right now :)

Tia said...

the color contrasts are really gorgeous.

Ingrid said...

Good job on the adaptions! I've enjoyed everyone's photos of this one. Just wish someone would share a slice!
~ingrid

diva said...

mmm this looks just gorgeous! liking the colours.

lasinthekitchen said...

Wow, sounds like using your pantry ingredients turned out wonderful for you! The brownie torte looks beautiful! =)

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