Name: Hungarian Chocolate-Walnut Torte
Yield: Makes about 10 servings
Ingredients: 3/4 cup sugar (if using half semisweet and half sweet chocolate) or 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (if using all semisweet chocolate); 6 ounces fine-quality chocolate, preferably half dark sweet (sometimes labeled German's Sweet Chocolate), and half semisweet, but all semisweet is also delicious; cut into small pieces; 6 large eggs, separated; 6 ounces shelled walnuts (1 3/4 to 2 cups); 3 tablespoons matzoh meal; Optional accompaniments: Passover Confectioners' Sugar (recipe below) or Chocolate Icing (recipe below); heavy cream, freshly whipped to soft drifts and barely or very lightly sweetened; or vanilla ice cream; Optional garnish: walnut halves; 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter or margarine; 6 ounces fine-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

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Hungarian Chocolate-Walnut TorteLara Ferroni

This is a taste of prewar Hungary, from the family repertoire of my dear friend, Judy Abrams, gifted teacher and poet. Based on ground walnuts and leavened only with eggs, this light, fudge-luscious cake has not a jot of butter or flour, making it Passover-perfect for meat or dairy meals.

To conclude a meat meal, it is delectable plain or dusted fancifully with confectioners' sugar (a Passover recipe without cornstarch below) or glazed with a simple chocolate icing.

For a dairy dish, cover the torte in swirls of lightly sweetened whipped cream or serve with scoops of vanilla ice cream on the side, accompanied by a steaming cup of strong cappuccino.

Enjoy this beautifully moist and virtually no-fail torte not just on Passover, but year round. When well wrapped (without icing), it keeps very well, tasting even better a day or two after it is made.

As with all nut pastries, be sure the walnuts you are using are very fresh-tasting.

Recipe notes

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