The main challenge with this recipe is finding one of the ingredients. Except for that, it’s an easy dessert that tastes and looks spectacular.
The origins of this recipe are obscure. My first encounter was for a “brownie torte” baked in a pie pan and using Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers, so I’m guessing it was a promotion for the commercial product. As nearly as I can tell, Nabisco still makes these wafers, but they are impossible to find in Tulsa where I live.
I remember my then-wife making this dessert in a pie pan in the early 1970s. We played bridge once a week with another couple when I was in gradual school, and this desser was always a big hit. She found it again for me recently from her 1969 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, where it’s called a “brownie torte,” but I suspect it has earlier origins than that. As recently as ten years ago, I could still find this recipe online, but it’s all but disappeared now, along with local availability of the Nabisco wafers that are one of the components.
“Chiffon” in the name usually refers to fabric, of course, and isn’t a cooking term. However, it is evocative of the rich but light texture of this dessert and sounds so much more elegant than “brownie torte.” This torte looks impressive, so I thought it should have an impressive-sounding name.
As I said, this recipe originally called for Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers. However, these are impossible to find in my location. They are available on Amazon, but for 2-4 times what you’d pay in a grocery store. Fortunately, there are several copycat recipes online that easily and inexpensively reproduce them. For an extra $5, though, I just order them from Amazon for the convenience. Alternatively, Amazon sells Oreo Baking Crumbs–also not available locally–for a slightly lower price. I plan to test these out and will update this blog with more photos and the results when I do.
While the traditional recipe calls for baking this in a pie plate, when I make it I generally double the recipe and make a two-layer torte. In order to get a more cake-like effect, I use a six-inch spring-form pan for each layer. If you’re only making one layer, a pie plate would work fine.
For the two-layer version, cool the layers for about 15 minutes before removing from the pan, then cool on wire racks for another hour. Spread raspberry jam–or your favorite jam–on the top of the bottom layer, then stack the layers. Cover with whipped cream, whipped to stiff peaks. Top with sprinkles and/or chocolate curls. See Ree Drummond on Food Network for an easy and foolproof way to make perfect chocolate curls. If you make two layers, double the whipped cream, too, and whip it to very stiff peaks, almost the consistency of butter cream frosting, so it will work as icing.
The photo at the right shows the batter after folding in the cookie crumbs and walnuts.
I used a copper pan to whip the egg whites. This is supposed to make them whip faster and to harder peaks, and it seems to work. It was a relatively small investment and seemed to pay off.
The photo at the right shows the batter in the spring-form pans, right before putting them in the oven. The photo below shows the layers cooling after cooking for 35 minutes. Note they poof up a bit while cooking.
For the nutrition information, I couldn’t find Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers in the tool that makes the label, so I used Oreo Baking Crumbs to get an estimate. I don’t know if the Oreo crumbs are nutritionally equivalent to the crushed wafers or not. Note that the nutrition label is for a single layer cut into sixths and does not include the jam between the layers. Adjust accordingly for a two-layer torte.
Chocolate Chiffon Torte
Equipment
- 6 inch spring form pan
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 3 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup crushed chocolate wafers
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325°
- Cut wax paper to fit the bottom of the spring form pan. Spray pan with cooking oil.
- In a small bowl, beat egg whites and vanilla on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form. Gently fold in the wafer crumbs and nuts. Spread into prepared pan.
- Bake at 325° for 30-40 minutes or until the top appears dry and is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Do NOT use a toothpick or knife to test for doneness since that will collapse the meringue.
- Cool for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool for another hour on wire rack.
- In another bowl, beat the whipping cream and confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread over the cooled desert. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
Notes
