Dark Chocolate Torte with Orange Confit Sauce & Zest
Submitted by ShOrTy8o8
Elegant dark chocolate torte layered with rich chocolate mousse on a thin cocoa sponge, served with homemade orange caramel confit sauce. A restaurant-level dessert you can make at home.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
1 hrsThis is a three-component dessert that plays the classic chocolate-orange combination for all it’s worth. A thin chocolate sponge gets topped with a thick layer of dark chocolate mousse, then chilled until set and sliced into dramatic triangles.
The orange confit sauce brings everything together. Sugar and lemon juice cook to a golden caramel, then fresh orange juice gets stirred in to create a bittersweet, citrusy sauce studded with zest.
Dusted with cocoa and served with fresh orange segments, this is the kind of plated dessert that belongs at a dinner party finale.
Chef Tips
- Soften the gelatine leaves in cold water for at least 5 minutes before squeezing and adding to the hot cream. Dry leaves won’t dissolve properly.
- The chocolate sponge should be thin, about 1 cm. It’s a base, not the star. The mousse is the main event.
- When making the caramel, don’t stir the sugar. Swirl the pan gently. Stirring causes crystallization.
- Be careful pouring the orange juice into hot caramel. It will splutter and steam. Stand back and add it slowly.
- Chill the assembled torte for at least 2 hours, or overnight, so the mousse sets firmly enough to slice clean.
Ingredients
Directions
To make the chocolate mousse: bring the cream to the boil.
Squeeze the gelatine leaves to remove excess water and add to the cream with the chocolate.
Remove from the heat and stir constantly until the chocolate and gelatine have dissolved.
Set aside to cool. When the chocolate cream is cool, fold through the whipped cream and set aside.
To make the chocolate sponge: beat the eggs with the sugar until pale and thick and carefully fold in the sifted flour and cocoa.
Line a 20×30cm baking sheet with baking paper and spread the mixture onto the paper to a thickness of 1cm.
Bake in a preheated 200c oven for about 10 minutes then remove and set aside to cool.
To make the orange confit sauce: melt the sugar in a saucepan with the lemon juice and cook until the mixture forms a golden caramel.
Remove from the heat and carefully pour the orange juice on to the caramel and stir to combine.
Remove from the heat, stir through the orange zest and set aside to cool.
To assemble the torte: spread a 2cm thick layer of mousse onto the chocolate sponge, cover and refrigerate until set.
To serve: cut the torte into triangular slices, place on a serving plate and dust with cocoa.
Spoon around some orange confit sauce, arrange a triangle of chocolate on top and serve with segments of orange.
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