I emerged from my kitchen three hours later, exhausted and hoping for the best.
I had issues with my macaroon layers sticking like crazy to the parchment paper! I think I spent a big chunk of my time trying to peel the layers off carefully (another significant chunk of time was spent peeling the almond skins off). I still ended up with a lot of broken and not-very-pretty pieces, but that's where the chocolate frosting comes in handy! :P
After wolfing down the torte, I realized that this was basically IKEA's daim cake! Duh! I have no idea why it wasn't obvious to me from the start. IKEA's cake uses their scrummy daim chocolate (which is just milk chocolate and butterscotch), and the almond base is similar to this one.
Last note: Before attempting this recipe, I would head over to Deb's page and check out the comments (something I forgot to do)! She addresses some of the problems her readers faced.
Almond Macaroon Torte with Chocolate Frosting
slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen
2 1/2 Cups / 10.5 oz / 300 g ground almonds (or equivalent weight using blanched, slivered or sliced almonds)
1 cup sugar + 3 tablespoons sugar
2 large pinches of salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large egg whites
Position oven racks in the top and lower third of oven, and preheat oven to 160°C. Draw two 12x4-inch rectangles (I did 11x5 inches), spaced 2 inches apart, on a piece of parchment paper. Repeat on another piece of parchment paper. Turn each sheet of parchment paper over so your ink or pencil lines don't seep into the macaroon, and place onto baking trays.
Place almonds, sugar and salt in a food processor (you can skip this step if you're using ground almonds; just mix the ingredients by hand) and blend until finely ground.
Using a mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Drizzle in vanilla extract, then slowly add 3 tablespoons sugar. Beat until stiff but not dry. Fold nut mixture into egg whites. Distribute batter evenly within the four rectangles.
Bake macaroon layers until golden and almost firm to the touch in the center, switching the baking trays halfway. Check the layers at the 23 minute mark, and then every 5 minutes if they're not done. Cool macaroons on their trays on a cooling rack. I ended up going over 40 minutes of baking, and even impatiently increasing the temperature towards the end. That may explain the cracking.
Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon flavoring (almond extract, vanilla extract, orange oil, etc)
300 g chocolate
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Simmer water and sugar in a medium saucepan until all the sugar has dissolved. Add flavoring, if using. Bring syrup to boil, and add the chocolate. Remove pan from heat, and let sit for 1 minute. Stir the chocolate until it mixes with the syrup completely. Let sit while you assemble the torte.
Before making the frosting, I tasted the macaroon layers and found them to be really sweet. I reduced the sugar in the chocolate frosting recipe from 1/2 cup to 2 tablespoons. Deb's recipe also called for 20 oz (560 g) of semi sweet chocolate. I used 300 g (two 150 g bars) of dark and semi sweet chocolate instead, and it yielded just the right amount of frosting. Of course, I have less chocolate between my macaroon layers, but I found the amount to be just nice. You can always up the amount, BUT, be sure to go over to Deb's page and check out the comments/tips. A number of readers had problems with their chocolate seizing (i.e. hardening).
Assembly
Place a macaroon layer on a serving platter, trimming if necessary. Spread frosting (I used about 5-6 tablespoons per layer) evenly over the macaroon. Top with another macaroon layer, and repeat until the last layer. Spread remaining frosting over the top and sides of the torte. Press sliced almonds onto side of tortes. Or, if like me, you don't have sliced almonds, you can just lightly process some almonds and sprinkle them over the top. Cover torte with foil tent. Store at room temperature. Let the torte rest and allow for the chocolate to harden a little before digging in. I refrigerated mine overnight, and it was still okay the next day. By the second day, the torte had hardened a little.
Position oven racks in the top and lower third of oven, and preheat oven to 160°C. Draw two 12x4-inch rectangles (I did 11x5 inches), spaced 2 inches apart, on a piece of parchment paper. Repeat on another piece of parchment paper. Turn each sheet of parchment paper over so your ink or pencil lines don't seep into the macaroon, and place onto baking trays.
Place almonds, sugar and salt in a food processor (you can skip this step if you're using ground almonds; just mix the ingredients by hand) and blend until finely ground.
Using a mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Drizzle in vanilla extract, then slowly add 3 tablespoons sugar. Beat until stiff but not dry. Fold nut mixture into egg whites. Distribute batter evenly within the four rectangles.
Bake macaroon layers until golden and almost firm to the touch in the center, switching the baking trays halfway. Check the layers at the 23 minute mark, and then every 5 minutes if they're not done. Cool macaroons on their trays on a cooling rack. I ended up going over 40 minutes of baking, and even impatiently increasing the temperature towards the end. That may explain the cracking.
Chocolate Frosting
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon flavoring (almond extract, vanilla extract, orange oil, etc)
300 g chocolate
1 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Simmer water and sugar in a medium saucepan until all the sugar has dissolved. Add flavoring, if using. Bring syrup to boil, and add the chocolate. Remove pan from heat, and let sit for 1 minute. Stir the chocolate until it mixes with the syrup completely. Let sit while you assemble the torte.
Before making the frosting, I tasted the macaroon layers and found them to be really sweet. I reduced the sugar in the chocolate frosting recipe from 1/2 cup to 2 tablespoons. Deb's recipe also called for 20 oz (560 g) of semi sweet chocolate. I used 300 g (two 150 g bars) of dark and semi sweet chocolate instead, and it yielded just the right amount of frosting. Of course, I have less chocolate between my macaroon layers, but I found the amount to be just nice. You can always up the amount, BUT, be sure to go over to Deb's page and check out the comments/tips. A number of readers had problems with their chocolate seizing (i.e. hardening).
Assembly
Place a macaroon layer on a serving platter, trimming if necessary. Spread frosting (I used about 5-6 tablespoons per layer) evenly over the macaroon. Top with another macaroon layer, and repeat until the last layer. Spread remaining frosting over the top and sides of the torte. Press sliced almonds onto side of tortes. Or, if like me, you don't have sliced almonds, you can just lightly process some almonds and sprinkle them over the top. Cover torte with foil tent. Store at room temperature. Let the torte rest and allow for the chocolate to harden a little before digging in. I refrigerated mine overnight, and it was still okay the next day. By the second day, the torte had hardened a little.
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