Coffee Pecan Torte

This Coffee Pecan Torte will give you a pick-me-up after the sleepy-making turkey of your Thanksgiving feast - and it makes a nice change to a typical pecan pie.

This Coffee Pecan Torte will give you a pick-me-up after the sleepy-making turkey of your Thanksgiving feast - and it makes a nice change to a typical pecan pie. It is a torte that tastes like a cream pie. It's pretty, it's easy to make, and it tastes wonderful.

Chef's note: Be careful to beat the egg whites and the cream as directed for the best consistency for the filling. To pulverize the coffee grounds, fold a large piece of waxed paper in half, place the coffee grounds between the fold and with a rolling pin, or a heavy can of veggies, pound the grounds until they're a powder. You can use the same method for crushing the cream crackers. Choose those flaky sweet crackers (not to be confused with saltines) that are about 3 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. SAO from Australia and Jacobs from the UK fit the bill. You can find them in the specialty section of your grocery store, or online.

This recipe makes 8 generous servings.

Coffee Pecan Torte Base Ingredients: 
3 egg whites 
1 cup of superfine (not granulated) sugar 
1 teaspoon of baking powder 
1 cup of finely chopped pecans 
3 teaspoons of coffee grounds, pulverized 
14 cream crackers, finely crushed

Topping And Filling Ingredients: 
1 ½ cups of thick (double) cream 
1 teaspoons of superfine (not granulated) sugar to taste 
2 tablespoons pure A or AA maple syrup to taste 
1 ounce of dark chocolate, about 1 teaspoon grated

Directions: 
Grease an 8” square or round cake pan. 
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a clean copper or glass bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. 
Slowly add the sugar, baking powder, pecans, coffee grounds and crushed cookies. 
Spoon the mixture evenly into the cake pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes. 
Remove and allow to cool thoroughly. 
While the cake crust is baking, make the filling. 
In a large bowl, beat the cream until stiff, adding the sugar gradually, about a few tablespoons at a time. 
Add the maple syrup. 
Taste and add more sugar or maple syrup, to your taste. 
Place the cooled torte base on a serving plate and cover the base with the cream mixture. 
Grate dark chocolate generously over the cream and chill for 2 hours before serving. 
Cut into wedges and serve along with your favorite piping hot, freshly brewed coffee.

 Nutritional information provided by www.menucalc.com