raise your hand if you love chocolate.

I'm pretty sure the entire population of women just raised their hands.

if you didn't, then may I suggest a shrink?  kidding.

remember back when I did the CSN giveaway where I asked you to share your favorite cake/frosting combo?  yeah, that left me drooling for days afterwards.  anyway, after I announced Denise as the winner, it seemed only fair that she would share her recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Torte with me.

well, I finally had the chance to make it last weekend.

oh my it was amazing!  and chocolatey!  and richer than me!

although I'm not sure if it turned out right or not.

and now you're all saying really? why's that?

well you see, after I removed the cake from the oven and inverted it onto the wire rack, it was oh roughly the thickness of a graham cracker.  yeah, no lie.

upon further examination of this rather skinny cake, I deduced that I had either a.) completely lost my baker's touch (not that I had much to begin with) or b.) no idea what a torte was.

so I quickly raced to the computer and googled it.  and this is what I found out:

Torte: A dense cake that includes nuts, wheat, dried fruits, sometimes rum, and is not a light and fluffy cake as would occur with baking powder or baking soda.

and then it said: Tortes are a popular choice for groom’s cakes. what, so men are dense and women are light and fluffy?

okay, so a torte was supposed to be dense.  so maybe I'm not as dense in the head as I initially thought.

I'll let you be the judge.  does this torte qualify me as the next Martha Stewart?

hey, don't choke on your coffee now.

YUM!

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here's the recipe:

Chocolate Raspberry Torte

* 1 cup butter, softened

* 2 cups sugar

* 4 eggs

* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

* 1/3 cup baking cocoa

GLAZE:

* 1/4 cup boiling water

* 4 teaspoons raspberry gelatin

* 2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam

TOPPING:

* 2 cups (12 ounces ) semisweet chocolate chips

* 2 cartons (8 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed

* 2 cups fresh raspberries

Directions:

* Line a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with waxed paper; grease the paper. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and cocoa; gradually beat into the creamed mixture. Transfer to prepared pan.

* Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. Carefully remove waxed paper.

* For glaze, stir water and gelatin until dissolved. Stir in jam. Brush evenly over bottom of cake. Trim edges; cut cake widthwise into thirds.

* For topping, in a microwave, melt chips; stir until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping until blended; fold in remaining whipped topping (mixture will be thick).

* Place one cake layer on a serving platter; spread with 3/4 cup topping. Repeat layers; top with remaining cake. Frost and decorate with raspberries and remaining topping. Yield: 12 servings.

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enjoy!  and thanks, Denise!

-jessica

PS. we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of grandma and grandpa Kesti today.  they will be in Flagstaff for six weeks!  the kids are so excited, it's like christmas around here!  they will finally get to meet Scarlett, their 67th grandchild.  can't wait!