Decadent chocolate walnut torte

As my mini chopper successfully blitzed cauliflower for rice, I felt more confident that it could handle grinding walnuts well. And seeing as it'd been a while since I made any chocolate desserts, I reached for the bag of top quality antioxidant, non-alkalised cocoa that I bought a good while ago and my trusty Green & Black's dark chocolate bars to make this decadent chocolate walnut torte. 

Ingredients for the torte

yields 1 torte, 12-16 portions

¼ C (23g) unsweetened cocoa powder, plus 1-2 tsp for the pan, sifted

½ C (110g) raw coconut oil

280g 70% dark chocolate, broken

1 C (220g) demerara sugar

5 free range large eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

¼ tsp coarse sea salt

½ C (60g) ground walnuts

Ingredients for the topping

55g 70% dark chocolate, broken

1 tsp raw coconut oil

1 tbsp walnuts, chopped
10 whole walnuts

Method for the torte

1. Melt the broken chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a bain-marie, stirring occasionally until smooth.
   
2. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the demerara sugar till the sugar has dissolved.
3. Add in the coconut oil and let the residual heat melt the oil gently. Mix to combine thoroughly.
   
4. Using an electric mixer, whisk in the eggs, one at a time till fully combined.
5. Whisk in the sifted cocoa powder, vanilla bean paste, and coarse sea salt.
6. Gently fold in the ground walnuts.
7. Let the batter sit in room temp for 10 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 175°C. Prepare a 9” round pan by greasing the bottom and dusting with some sifted cocoa powder.
   
8. When the oven is hot enough, spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake in the middle rack for 35-40 minutes until the centre of the torte is set.
   
9. Let the torte cool completely on a wire rack, preferably overnight. Remove the torte from the pan (if using a tin pan, run a knife under hot water, wipe clean, and then run it around the edge of the torte to loosen and remove).
   
10. When the torte has cooled completely, it can be drizzled with a chocolate sauce and topped with walnuts. To make the chocolate sauce: melt chocolate and coconut oil in a bowl over a bain-marie. Mix well and pour over the torte. Sprinkle chopped walnuts on top and decorate with whole walnuts as desired.
11. Slice straight with a sharp knife run under hot water and dried. Store the torte wrapped in cling film in room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 10 days. Let return to room temperature before serving.

This is a heavenly dessert is rich with the right balance of bitter and sweet. The crust is slightly crispy and chewy while the centre is dense and velvety. The chopped walnuts provide a welcomed crunchiness while the sea salt helps break the sweetness - I'd even say it could do with a bit more sea salt, perhaps from ¼ to ½ teaspoon. The torte hardens after being chilled in the fridge, so be sure to let it get back up to room temperature before serving. Then enjoy a sliver (or a healthy slice!) with some strongly brewed tea or coffee!