Eggnog Torte

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 large eggs
• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
• 1 1/3 cups finely ground hazelnuts (optional)
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar, blended with
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
• 1 -2 tablespoon chocolate sprinkles (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 350, liberally butter the bottom of a 10-side springform pan or spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• 2 for the torte:.
• 3 sift the flour, baking powder and salt together twice and set aside.
• 4 cream the butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed for 5 minutes, till light and fluffy.
• 5 reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the eggs, one by one.
• 6 beat in the melted chocolate and if using, the hazelnuts.
• 7 add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry and beating by hand after each addition only enough to incorporate.
• 8 spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• 9 rap the pan several times on the counter to release any large air bubbles, then bake about 1 hour and 20 minutes, till the torte begins to pull from the sides of the pan, is springy to the touch, and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• 10 cool the torte in the upright pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then loosen it around the edge with a small spatula.
• 11 release and remove the springform pan sides and cool the torte, still on the pan bottom and cake rack, to room temperature.
• 12 for the eggnog:.
• 13 blend the sugar-flour mixture with the milk in a small heavy saucepan.
• 14 set over moderate heat and cook, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes, till thickened and smooth.
• 15 whisk a little of the hot mixture into the beaten yolk, stir back into the pan, and cook and stir over moderately low heat for 2 minutes longer.
• 16 remove from heat, mix in the rum extract, then pour the eggnog through a fine sieve into a metal bowl.
• 17 set in an ice bath and chill 15 - 20 minutes, whisking often to prevent a skin from forming on the top.
• 18 pour the eggnog into a plastic squirt bottle and refrigerate till ready to use. (i would think you could also use a plastic baggie with a small hole cut in one corner if you don't have a squirt bottle.).
• 19 to frost the torte:.
• 20 set the torte, still on the springform pan bottom on a lazy susan and frost the top and sides smoothly and thinly with the whipped cream.
• 21 starting in the center of the torte and exerting steady but gentle pressure on the squirt bottle, apply the eggnog in a tight spiral on the top of the torte, spacing the lines about 1/2 inch apart. (i'm sure you can do this without a lazy susan - you'll just have to move the bottle instead of the torte).
• 22 scatter the chocolate sprinkles over the top of the torte, if you like, then transfer, still on the springform pan bottom, to a cake plate and serve.
• 23 store any leftovers in the refrigerator.