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    Home / Desserts / Cakes & Cupcakes

    Pistachio Chocolate Torte

    Published Apr 18, 2011

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    slice of delicious pistachio chocolate torte
    Ah, Passover; the most morbid of Jewish holidays. The name refers to God's slaughtering of non-Jewish first-born sons as a final warning to the Egyptians to free the slaves. The Jews were instructed to paint their doorways with blood from a sacrificial lamb so that God would know to 'passover' their homes and spare their children.

    chocolate bar
    Pharaoh released the slaves and they fled in a hurry, without time to sit around waiting for their bread to rise, so they baked it flat. During Passover, to remember and honor our ancestors, good Jews abstain from eating anything made with yeast, baking powder or baking soda, and the only wheat one can consume must come via kosher matzo, those flat, cardboard-flavorless crackers sold in square boxes. (Pastry chefs are, uh, exempt from this.)

    pistachios
    Speaking of hardships and tragedies, let me tell you about one Passover seder with my family.

    Since all this morbidity may put one off eating (even more so than foods representing things like tears, mortar, and bitterness), we are forced to sit around the dinner table for hours recounting the story, singing, washing our hands, etc., until we are practically dead from hunger. Then we are finally permitted a bowl or two of matzo ball soup, and some chicken.

    pistachio and chocolate in a blender
    If all of this sounds like not-so-much fun, there are two redeeming parts of Passover:

    1) Flourless chocolate tortes
    2) The drinking of much wine during the (loooooooong) ceremonial dinner

    dry ingredients in a blender
    One year, a large portion of my family crammed ourselves into the tiny Berkeley kitchen of my half sister's mom and her partner. Jay and I walked in late and opened up the one bottle of wine we had brought, and when that was consumed (in about 5 seconds flat) all eyes turned to the only other libation on the table: two bottles of Manischewitz, the sticky-sweet concord grape wine that 12-year-old Jew-kids (like myself) love, but grown-up palettes deride.

    The rest of the night comprised the longest Passover ever; many of us were traumatized and never went back.

    wet ingredients being poured into a bowl
    For Thanksgiving that year, Jay and I stuck several bottles of wine in the car, just in case. When we entered my brother's Berkeley home, we rejoiced to see the wooden counter practically buckling under the weight of dozens of wine bottles.My cousin pulled me aside and whispered, 'We have more in the car, you know, just in case.' I greeted my brother, who confided that he had a whole other case waiting to be opened up if needed.

    whisk
    Being a bad Jew, the real reason I baked this torte is that I had a bunch of egg whites needing to be used up after last week's ice cream and tart (which both used lots of yolks).

    ingredients mixed in a bowl
    Egg whites will keep in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks, or they can be frozen for several months. Being a custard fiend, I often have at least one mournful jar of whites in the house.Since I dislike meringue anything, fear macarons, and abstain from buttercream and white cakes, my favorite way to use up whites is in dense, nutty confections, such as financiers or chocolate cakes. When I saw the stunning photo of this torte in Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert, I made it almost instantly. It contains only ground (not melted) unsweetened chocolate, nuts, sugar, salt, egg whites, and a touch of cream of tartar (used here not as a leavener, but as an acid to stabilize the meringue - if you are a stickler, you can omit it) and comes together quickly with the use of a food processor and electric mixer.

    top down shot of torte pre baking
    Ms. Medrich tests her recipes rigorously - I didn't change it at all, except for swapping out the almonds for pistachios that I needed to use up. Sadly, their color didn't come through in the final cake, and the chocolate flavor is so strong, that almonds, walnuts, hazels or pecans could easily go in their place.

    pistachio chocolate torte before baking
    Like Passover, this torte is not for the faint of heart. It seems light at first, but sneaks up on you with its deep, dark richness. A dollop of whipped cream acts as the perfect counterbalance. And a glass of wine wouldn't hurt, either.

    torte with powder
    Of course, this torte needn't be reserved for (or even associated with) any holiday in particular.But it is a handy recipe to have at one's disposal to prevent those pesky egg whites from being passed over.

    slice of torte being cut
    Happy Pesach!

    slice of pistachio chocolate torte on a plate

    For more chocolate recipes:

    • (Gluten-Free) Chocolate Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake
    • (Optionally Gluten-Free) Chocolate Bouchon Cakes
    • Double Chocolate Banana Cupcakes
    • One-Bowl Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting {gluten-free, vegan option}
    • Bourbon Cacao Nib Caramel Corn

    *Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this chocolate pistachio torte recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

    5 from 4 votes

    Chocolate Pistachio Torte

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    You are going to love this rich chocolate dessert!
    Alanna Taylor-Tobin
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
    Servings: 10 servings.

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup whole, raw pistachios (see headnote), plus extra chopped pistachios for garnish (5 ounces)
    • 7 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped (see headnote)
    • 1 cup sugar (divided use) (7 ounces)
    • 1/8 teaspoon salt
    • 7 large egg whites (1 cup / 8 ounces)
    • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
    • powdered sugar or cocoa powder, for dusting
    • sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)

    Instructions

    • Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350º. Grease a 9" springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
    • Spread the nuts on a small baking sheet and toast lightly in the oven until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely (spread on a plate and stick in the fridge to speed this up - do not grind hot nuts with the chocolate and sugar or it will melt the chocolate).
    • In a food processor, whizz together the thoroughly cooled nuts, the chocolate, the salt and half of the sugar until finely ground but not powdered. Set aside.
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or with electric beaters, or with a whisk and your brute strength) beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium-high speed until foamy. Still whipping, slowly add in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Continue whipping until soft peaks form (i.e., when you lift the whisk out and hold it upside-down, a peak will flop over; see photo in post, above). Immediately but gently fold in 1/3 of the chocolate mixture using a large, rubber spatula, until mostly combined. Fold in half the remaining chocolate mixture, then the rest, until incorporated, and no large clumps of either nuts or egg white remain.
    • Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake until the torte is puffed, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, or smeared with a bit of melted chocolate, 30 - 35 minutes.
    • Remove from the oven, and let cool completely on a cooling rack. Remove the sides from the pan, and invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment, and then re-invert it onto a serving plate.
    • Dust with powdered sugar or cocoa, and serve with whipped cream and chopped pistachios, if desired.

    Notes

    Adapted from Claudia Roden's torta di mandorle e cioccolata in her Book of Jewish Food, via Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert
    Since this recipe contains few ingredients, use a high-quality unsweetened chocolate; Scharffenberger and Valrhona are two excellent brands. For the nuts, you can use almonds or hazels in place of the pistachios; walnuts or pecans would probably work, too. The cream of tartar here is used not as a leavener, but as an acid to stabilize the egg white meringue; if making this for a kosher Passover, you can omit the cream of tartar.
    Nutritional values are based on one of ten servings.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 258kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 7gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 69mgPotassium: 337mgFiber: 4gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 50IUVitamin C: 0.7mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 3.9mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

    Chocolate Pistachio Torte

    Makes 10 servings

    Adapted from Claudia Roden's torta di mandorle e cioccolata in her Book of Jewish Food, via Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert

    Since this recipe contains few ingredients, use a high-quality unsweetened chocolate; Scharffenberger and Valrhona are two excellent brands. For the nuts, you can use almonds or hazels in place of the pistachios; walnuts or pecans would probably work, too. The cream of tartar here is used not as a leavener, but as an acid to stabilize the egg white meringue; if making this for a kosher Passover, you can omit the cream of tartar.

    1 cup (5 ounces) whole, raw pistachios (see headnote), plus extra chopped pistachios for garnish
    7 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped (see headnote)
    1 cup (7 ounces) sugar (divided use)
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    7 large egg whites (1 cup / 8 ounces)
    1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
    powdered sugar or cocoa powder, for dusting
    sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)

    Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350º. Grease a 9" springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

    Spread the nuts on a small baking sheet and toast lightly in the oven until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely (spread on a plate and stick in the fridge to speed this up - do not grind hot nuts with the chocolate and sugar or it will melt the chocolate).

    In a food processor, whizz together the thoroughly cooled nuts, the chocolate, the salt and half of the sugar until finely ground but not powdered. Set aside.

    In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or with electric beaters, or with a whisk and your brute strength) beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium-high speed until foamy. Still whipping, slowly add in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Continue whipping until soft peaks form (i.e., when you lift the whisk out and hold it upside-down, a peak will flop over; see photo in post, above). Immediately but gently fold in 1/3 of the chocolate mixture using a large, rubber spatula, until mostly combined. Fold in half the remaining chocolate mixture, then the rest, until incorporated, and no large clumps of either nuts or egg white remain.

    Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake until the torte is puffed, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, or smeared with a bit of melted chocolate, 30 - 35 minutes.

    Remove from the oven, and let cool completely on a cooling rack. Remove the sides from the pan, and invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment, and then re-invert it onto a serving plate.

    Dust with powdered sugar or cocoa, and serve with whipped cream and chopped pistachios, if desired.

    slice of torte on a plate

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Shannon says

      April 19, 2011 at 5:09 pm

      Delicious! My friend was just asking if I knew of any great Passover desserts (other than chocolate covered matzo). I love the addition of pistachios!

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        May 03, 2013 at 4:44 pm

        Thanks, Shannon! So glad you liked it!

        Reply
    2. Matt says

      May 03, 2011 at 3:37 pm

      OMG girl ... Gentile though I am, this cake is spectacular.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        May 03, 2013 at 4:45 pm

        Aw, thanks, Matt!

        Reply
    3. alanna says

      May 03, 2011 at 4:43 pm

      So glad you folks like it!

      Reply
    4. Meredith says

      May 03, 2013 at 10:44 am

      'Like Passover, this torte is not for the faint of heart.' ahhh haha SUCH a good line. this looks amazing! I am definitely not waiting until next passover to test it out :).

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        May 03, 2013 at 4:50 pm

        Thanks, Meredith! I hope you love it. I'm loving your site!

        Reply
    5. Harriet Cramer says

      March 31, 2016 at 7:54 am

      This looks wonderful! Do you think it could be made ahead and frozen?

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        March 31, 2016 at 1:48 pm

        Not sure how well that would work, but it's worth a shot? LMK if you give it a go. :)

        Reply
    6. Jen Hydrick says

      April 15, 2020 at 11:10 pm

      Perhaps a ridiculous question, but I'm looking to make a flourless chocolate cake (of sorts) for my best friend's birthday. The catch is that she's allergic to sugar. Do you think substituting maple sugar (not maple syrup) would work here? I am guessing that the sugar provides sweetness but also some structure. Thank you for considering! (And no worries if you're not up for this sort of speculation. ;)

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        April 16, 2020 at 6:46 pm

        Not ridiculous at all! That's so *sweet* of you (haha) to accommodate your friend. I think maple sugar would be a perfect substitute. Please let me know if you try it!

        Reply
    7. Shelby says

      November 29, 2021 at 10:39 am

      We made this torte with toasted pecans. It was so rich and delicious, it is definitely a recipe I will make again and again.

      Reply
    8. Shelby says

      November 29, 2021 at 10:45 am

      I forgot to mention that we chose this recipe because we needed to make a gluten free, chocolate dessert to top off a very rich dinner. This recipe exceeded all out expectations and every cook there asked for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Alanna says

        November 30, 2021 at 5:24 pm

        Aw I'm so glad you all liked it and that it worked well with toasted pecans. That sounds delicious!

        Reply

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