Chocolate Romance Truffle Torte

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons dark rum
• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 dash salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup very strong coffee
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 3/4 cup whipping cream

Recipe

• 1 make shell:.
• 2 sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar on the bottom and sides of a well greased 8-inch loose bottomed flan pan or pie plate.
• 3 melt chocolate with water, vanilla and rum over hot water.
• 4 beat egg yolks until light add 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition until yolks are thick and lemon coloured.
• 5 blend in melted chocolate mixture.
• 6 beat egg whites with salt until stiff, shiny peaks form.
• 7 fold in chocolate mixture.
• 8 pour into prepared pie plate and bake for 25 minutes at 350°f until mixture is puffed and firm to the touch (do not overbake).
• 9 chill one hour.
• 10 the mixture will fall and form a shell for the filling.
• 11 make filling:.
• 12 bring butter and coffee to a boil.
• 13 process the chocolate, sugar and salt in the food processor until very fine.
• 14 pour the hot butter mixture through the feed tube with the motor running.
• 15 add the egg yolks and brandy and process until thick and smooth.
• 16 cool to room temperature.
• 17 refrigerate 1/2 cup of the mixture until it is thick enough to pipe through a pastry tube spread half the room temperature chocolate mixture on the cooled shell.
• 18 fold the whipped cream into the remaining chocolate mixture and spread over the first layer.
• 19 spoon the chilled chocolate mixture into a pastry bag and with a star tip, pipe a decorative edge just inside the edge of the shell.
• 20 refrigerate, uncovered until the filling is set, then cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 2 days.
• 21 may be frozen.