Women Living Well

I've been encouraged and inspired by Courtney's blog at "Women Living Well." You can find her button on the sidebar of my blog. Courtney was sweet to feature a link to a post of mine at her site last week, and you can find it by clicking here.

Last week I mentioned on Facebook that I could smell the aroma of "Fudgey Torte" rising up from my kitchen. Friends responded that they wanted a piece .... and the recipe. :) So, in the spirit of "Women Living Well," as Courtney reminds us, here is my recipe for "Fudgey Pecan Torte" (I left the pecans out that day). It originally came from a Hershey's "Make it Chocolate" cookbook that I bought while in college. Imagine me making this for the first time, while wearing preppy plaid clothes and big hair. YOU should not wear the big hair, but DO enjoy the torte with my blessings.

Fudgey Pecan Torte

1 c. butter or margarine, melted

1 ½ c. sugar

1 ½ t. vanilla

3 eggs, separated and at room temp.

2/3 c. baking cocoa powder

½ c. flour

3 T. water

¾ c. finely chopped pecans

1/8 t. cream of tartar

1/8 t. salt

Royal Glaze (recipe follows)

Pecan halves (optional)

Line the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with foil. Butter the foil and the sides of the pan. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, vanilla; beat well. Add egg yolks, one at at a time, beating well after each. Blend in cocoa, flour and water; beat well. Stir in nuts (or leave out if you decide).

In a small mixer bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until peaks form; carefully fold this into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the springform pan and spread to fill. Bake 45 min. or until the top starts to crack a little. It won’t test done, so watch for the slight cracks. Cool 1 hour. Chill til firm, then remove the sides of the pan. Pour Royal Glaze over the cake, letting the glaze run down the sides. Spread it evenly over the top and sizes. Allow to set. Garnish with pecan halves in a “flower” in the middle, if desired.

Makes 12-16 pieces.

Royal Glaze

In a small saucepan (or in the microwave, carefully) combine 1 1/3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips and ½ c. whipping cream. Melt over low heat, stirring constantly. It will look glossy when all melted.

An added note: This is very rich, so don’t take a big piece unless you have time to sit down, and plan ahead to make coffee to go with it! :) You will NOT want to resist licking the spatulas when you’re done. :) ENJOY!