How to Make a Herrentorte (Gentleman's Tart)

In Germany, meeting up for coffee and cake is usually a lady's thing. But there is one exception: the Herrentorte, literally: the Gentleman's Tart. Its main ingredient is dark chocolate, something which is more popular among men because of its rather bitter taste. 

So if you are a real macho, but still want to join your lady friends for a Kaffeeklatsch, the Herrentorte is your best choice. A good idea is to order a brandy with your coffee.

Here is a recipe if you want to do it yourself. It's a lot of work, but if there are no cafés which serve Herrentorte in your town, this is how you do it.

Ingredients:
340 g dark chocolate
6 eggs
180 g sugar
100 g flour
75 g butter
50 g starch
2 tea spoons of baking powder
200 g marzipan
300 ml cream
some almond extract
a bit of ground nutmeg
200 g nougat
100 g flaked almonds

1. Melt 200 g chocolate over warm water.

2. Separate eggs. Beat egg whites to form stiff peaks. Beat egg yolks with sugar until creamy.

3. Mix chocolate into the yolk mixture.

4. Combine flour and starch and sift onto egg whites.

5. Lightly fold egg whites/flour into the yolk/chocolate mix.

6. Bake cake base in a baking paper-lined springform in a pre-heated oven 175°C 40-45 min.

7. Wait until the cake base has completely cooled down.

8. Combine cream and nougat (cut into small pieces) in a saucepan. Warm up while stirring, then boil.

9. Refrigerate over night.

10. Cut cake base into three layers; first cut around cake, then use a thin wireor cake ring to cut evenly.

11. Soften marzipan in a microwave oven, add cream, nutmeg and almond extract, mix well, spread onto first layer, top with next layer of chocolate cake.

12. Whip the refrigerated nougat mix. Spread onto second cake layer. Top with third layer.

13. For the ganache: combine cream with 140 g dark chocolate (in small pieces) in a saucepan, warm up and boil while stirring.

14. Coat the entire cake with ganache, decorate it with flaked almonds.

15. Let it cool cown and serve it.