This delicious traditional walnut torte is grain-free and sugar-free. Made with chocolate, walnuts, cloves, cinnamon and cherries it is also an anti-oxidant rich powerhouse. No sin here! Only goodness for your health and your tastebuds 🙂

Torte:

• 4 oz (110g) organic raw chocolate nibs (ground)
• 6 T local grass-fed butter
• 3 T date syrup*
• 1 t cinnamon (ground)
• 1/2 t cloves (ground)
• 4 eggs separated
• 4 T date syrup*
• 3/4 c walnuts (ground)
• dash salt

Dried Cherry Preserves:

• 8 oz (220g) organic dried cherries
• 1/2 c water
• 2 T date syrup*
• 3 pods cardamom ground

Topping:

• 1/2 c finely chopped walnuts
• Whipped cream with honey

Method:
Grease the bottom and sides of an 8 inch springform pan. Dust with almond flour and tap out excess. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the ground chocolate nibs (you can substitute unsweetened chocolate), butter, cinnamon and 3 T date syrup in a small, heavy saucepan over very low heat. Set aside briefly.

Place the egg yolks and 4 T date syrup in a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk until creamy — don’t beat. Gradually stir in the warm chocolate mixture. Remove 1/2 c of this mixture to use as chocolate frosting later.

Stir ground walnuts into the remaining batter.

Beat the egg whites and salt until they are stiff but not dry. Stir in about 1/4 into the chocolate batter to lighten it. Then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites (do not over-mix).

Pour the mixture into your springform pan. Bake about 35 – 40 minutes, or until the torte pulls slightly away from the edge of the pan and the top is slightly springy to touch. Cool the torte in the pan on a rack. When completely cool remove the sides of the pan. Slide a thin knife under the torte to loosen it from the bottom.

While the torte is baking heat the dried cherries, water, syrup and cardamom to rehydrate cherries. Blend to smooth. Add more water if necessary but don’t make it too runny. (Other fruit preserves can be used instead. Apricot, raspberry, blueberry, fresh cherries etc. Dried cherries are very high in antioxidants and have a nice flavor.)

When torte is cooled, heat the fruit mixture slightly for ease in spreading onto torte. Spread around the sides of the torte and over the top, you will have extra preserves left over.

Spread the remaining chocolate batter over the fruit preserves and onto the sides of torte.

Press the chopped walnuts into the sides of the torte and just barely around the top rim. Allow the torte to stand until the frosting is firm. Transfer to cake plate. Serve within a few hours so glaze remains shiny. The torte is also lovely with just the fruit preserves as frosting if you forget to reserve any of the chocolate batter.

Serve torte with honey whipped cream.

*If you can’t get date syrup (molasses) substitute honey.

Walnuts are incredibly high in antioxidants as are the raw chocolate nibs, dried cherries, cloves and cinnamon

The photo really doesn’t do this amazing torte justice!