Peanut Butter Torte

For this week’s Tuesdays With Dorie , Elizabeth from Ugg Smell Food chose the recipe, Peanut Butter Torte, from Dorie Greenspan’s book “Baking: From My Home To Yours”.

Bottom line, I have an intolerance to peanut butter. Maybe that’s why I don’t like it. Not to take anything away from all you peanut butter lovers out there. There are a few people in this house who eat it out right out of the jar.

Well, guess I had to bow out for this week. Didn’t think I could inhale all those fumes from the whipping cream, peanut butter and cream cheese. Yesterday I showed my daughter Camelia a picture of the dessert I wasn’t making and she looked at me and said ‘Mom, this looks gooood!’ So with list in hand and Camelia at the wheel, we were off buying the missing ingredients. In the car I decided to make smaller tortes so another stop was needed to buy the buy the smaller spring form cake pans. The things we do for our kids.

Okay, I have to confess I bought Oreo cookie crumbs instead of Oreo cookies and halved the recipe. It was easy to follow and I survived the ‘fumes’. The halved recipe was enough to fill four 4 inch spring form pans. My biggest worry was that the peanut butter tortes would fall apart once I remove the sides of the pans.

Tonight was the unveiling of the Peanut Butter Tortes. My family waited in anticipation as I removed the sides of the pans (YAY – the tortes did not fall apart) and took photos. Then with spoons in hand they dug in!

As I watched them devour the tortes, I was happy I gave this recipe a try although I couldn’t eat it.

Thanks Elizabeth for choosing this recipe – if you hadn’t I wouldn’t have even given a second thought to making it. This recipe is a good bargaining chip for THE Mother’s Day present I am expecting this Sunday.

Visit the Tuesdays with Dorie website to view the members’ Peanut Butter Tortes.

Visit Spatulas, Corkscrews and Suitcase for ‘ANOTHER COOKBOOK GIVE-AWAY! “101 Easy Peasy Cookie Recipes

Peanut Butter Torte

1 ¼ c. finely chopped salted peanuts (for the filling, crunch and topping)
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or finely ground instant coffee)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
½ c. mini chocolate chips (or finely chopped semi sweet chocolate)
24 Oreo cookies, finely crumbed or ground in a food processor or blender
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Small pinch of salt
2 ½ c. heavy cream
1 ¼ c confectioners’ sugar, sifted
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 ½ c salted peanut butter – crunchy or smooth (not natural; I use Skippy)
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped

Getting ready: center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch Springform pan and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Toss ½ cup of the chopped peanuts, the sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and chocolate chops together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Put the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in another small bowl and stir with a fork just until crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the spring form pan (they should go up about 2 inches on the sides). Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let it cool completely before filling.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, whip 2 cups of the cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in ¼ cup of the confectioners’ sugar and whip until the cream holds medium-firm peaks. Crape the cream into a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Wipe out (do not wash) the bowl, fit the stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you have one, or continue with the hand mixer, and beat the cream cheese with the remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until the cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, ¼ cup of the chopped peanuts and the milk.

Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about one quarter of the whipped cream, just to lighten the mousse. Still working with the spatula, stir in the crunchy peanut mixture, then gingerly fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Scrape the mouse into the crust, mounding and smoothing the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.

To Finish The Torte: put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave the bowl over the water just until the chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Bring the remaining ½ cup cream to a full boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and , working with a a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until the ganache is completely blended and glossy.

Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with a metal icing spatula. Scatter the remaining ½ cup peanuts over the top and chill to set the topping, about 20 minutes.
When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the Springform pan; it’s easiest to warm the pan with a hairdryer, and then remove the sides, but you can also wrap a kitchen towel damped with hot water around the pan and leave it there for 10 seconds. Refrigerate until ready to serve.