RECIPE / ONE REALIZATION
This original torta Garash recipe dates from 1885 and has all the traditional components — five walnut meringue sponge layers, chocolate ganache filling, chocolate glaze, and for decoration, green-colored shredded coconut or ground pistachios.
← Back to the dish overviewRECIPE INGREDIENTS
METHOD
Set the oven to preheat to 160°C/320°F. Prepare five pieces of baking paper, then trace a 26 cm (10”) on top of each.
Add the egg whites to a large bowl, then, using a mixer, whisk, adding sugar in batches until soft peaks. Once the sugar has completely dissolved, fold in the ground walnuts, being careful not to deflate the foam.
Now, turn each piece of paper drawn side down, and spread a thin layer of meringue inside each circle.
Bake each meringue layer for 5-7 minutes, then immediately take it from the oven and peel off the baking paper. Leave to cool completely.
Meanwhile, prep the filling. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. Let cool for 5-7 minutes. Then, with the mixer set on low, whip the cream, adding the sugar in batches. While mixing, pour in the melted chocolate in a thin stream.
Spread each layer with the cream, stack them, and spread the sides. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Melt the chocolate for the glaze in a bain-marie, then stir in the oil.
Put a small amount of the melted chocolate on top of the cake, then tilt the cake to spread it. Repeat until you’ve used up the entire chocolate. Do not spread the glaze; instead, let it drip over the sides of the cake.
To decorate, sprinkle green-colored shredded coconut in a circular fashion on top of the cake (near the edge of the cake), making a round band of coconut.
USEFUL NOTES
To get the most volume, make sure that the equipment you're using is grease-free. Also, take care that not a single drop of yolk ends up in your whites, as it will interfere with the foam development. It's important not to overbeat the egg whites. They should only be whisked until soft peaks, or the meringue will crack once baked. As the last step, fold the ground walnuts into the meringue carefully, so it doesn't deflate.
Typically, ganache is made with equal parts of chocolate and cream, with no extra ingredients needed. In the case of torta Garash, a bit of sugar is added as well, but you can exclude it or scale down the amount to your liking if you don’t have such a big sweet tooth.
The recipe for the cake says you will need just chocolate and a bit of oil to make the glaze, with oil being here to help the glaze glisten more. Opt for couverture chocolate which has a higher percentage of cacao solids and cacao butter than regular or baking chocolate; it also has a shinier sheen and is firmer. Pour the glaze on top of the cake in batches, spreading the glaze by tilting the cake and letting it drip over the edges.
The cake should be refrigerated once assembled to firm up and kept in the refrigerator until serving time so it doesn’t become too mushy. For cutting the cake more easily, use a serrated knife first dipped in hot water and then wiped dry. Re-dip and wipe dry the knife before each new slice.
Today, most torta Garash recipes list flour as one of the ingredients for the meringue sponge layers, as flour helps to stabilize the meringue. A chocolate cream made with yolks is also often found in newer recipes instead of ganache. A variation with white chocolate is also popular.