01MERINGUE SPONGE LAYERS
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.
02GANACHE
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.
03GLAZE
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.
04STORAGE AND SERVING
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.
05VARIATIONS
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.