Double Chocolate Orange Torte
This gluten free Double Chocolate Orange Torte will make a nice treat for Passover, which is rapidly approaching! My family, however, needed no holiday or excuse to devour the entire cake on a Sunday afternoon. This treat is easy to make and even easier to eat. Go ahead, try some and see for yourself.
½ cup dark chocolate chips 73% cacao
½ cup blanched almond flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
3 eggs
½ cup agave nectar
½ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon orange zest
½ cup dark chocolate chips 73% cacao
- Place ½ cup chocolate chips in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground to the texture of gravel
- Pulse in almond flour, cacao powder and salt and process until well combined, about 10 seconds
- Add eggs to food processor and pulse again, then add in agave, grapeseed oil and orange zest
- Pulse all ingredients together until smooth
- Remove "bowl" from food processor and stir in second ½ cup of chocolate chips using a spoon or spatula
- Transfer batter into a well oiled 10 inch springform pan
- Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
I adapted this torte recipe from a site called Mandelininc.com which has yummy ideas for almond flour goodies. The recipe I based mine on is called Chocolate Citrus Almond Torte.
Finally, I just wanted to share some disturbing information that I garnered from an article in this Sunday's New York Times. Nicholas D. Kristof wrote a very informative piece on the use of antibiotics in factory farming. According to his article we, "need to curb the way modern agribusiness madly overuses antibiotics, leaving them ineffective for sick humans."
Did you know that 70% of the antibiotics used in this country are administered to healthy farm animals. Why is this done? It helps the animals grow faster and bulk up, making them, of course, more valuable. Meat is sold by the pound --think quantity, not quality.
The danger of this practice? With antibiotics so prevalent, new "super bugs" are developing that are resistant to all existing anti-biotics. According to Kristof, more than 18,000 people are dying each year from these new strains of disease that are now untreatable with even the most powerful antibiotics. Pretty scary to think that after close to a century of antibiotic use we could slip back into a world where bacterial diseases (such as tuberculosis) are untreatable and ravage our population on a large scale as they once did.
What can we do? First, if you can avoid all animal products from CAFO farms (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations). These types of farms crowd animals into unsanitary conditions, creating infection and of course increasing the need for the administration of prophylactic antibiotics. If you can, purchase organic meats/eggs/dairy from a farmer/rancher in your area (grass fed meat is actually best, however, that's another story altogether).
And for all you vegans out there --kudos for not supporting the animal product industry in any way, however, these antibiotic resistant infections are contagious to everyone. They originate in a farm and can mutate to our bodies in many ways, not just by eating meat.
I am hardly an expert on this issue, nor do I claim to be. So please, those of you that have more information, leave a comment and let's figure out what else we can do to change this frightening trend.
Posted on March 9, 2010 in the desserts category by Elana
related recipes: Chocolate Walnut Torte
or Double Chocolate Mocha Biscotti
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Yum, this looks absolutely wonderful. You never cease to amaze me!
Now I know what I'm making this weekend.
I'll have to try it in a regular pan or pyrex dish though, due to the lack of a spring form pan.
That torte looks outstanding.
Thanks for posting the information about the meat - we've been enlightened in the past few months about how bad our meat supply is. We're trying to stick to a vegan lifestyle for health reasons, but every once in a while that grassfed hamburger hits the spot.
Any particular reason not to separate the eggs? I've read that beating the whites separately results in a lighter cake. Looks like a great recipe.
Sounds wonderful. And thanks for all the food info as well - I am on the sixth round of antibiotics trying to get rid of a bad dental infection and it is not working. Thanks for opening everyone's eyes. I just finished reading a great - and entertaining book that touches on all of this, too - "The Butcher and the Vegetarian" by Tara Austen Weaver...
Everyone should see the film Food Inc. Will change your shopping habits.
Aloha,
Ellie
Thanks Elana! I see that this is kosher for passover, so your timing is perfect (as usual). It's going to be a treat on my Passover menu.
Irina
Stunning!
This torte looks like a fantastic way to end (or start!) the day =D.
I've watched a lot of food documentaries and they sure open your eyes to what you put in your body.
Actually our local health food store has an organic group you can join that works with local farmers in western kentucky. That was the only thing I asked for from our tax return this year.
I am anxious to try this I also love the information you posted.
My family and I live in a very suburban southern California community in a small home with a small yard but we checked the city ordinances and they allow you to have chickens! So we bought 4 little chicks and our children have had a great time raising them, building a coop, letting them range throughout the day -great pest control by the way- putting them away at night, feeding them , and of course collecting the eggs.
I have a 7yr old with ADD, my 4yr old is Autistic and an 18month old with many delays, not only has this been fun for them but the eggs (we get 2-4 a day) are delicious and safe. I always get comments about my gluten free recipes turning out fluffier and tastier than others who have tried the same ones. it is not hard to keep chickens for people who live in cities that permit it. I highly recommend looking into it if you are concerned about the use of antibiotics in your food, I had no idea how many eggs we actually eat!
Scary info about the antibiotics. I use them sparingly and always thought that was protection so that when I really need them, my body will respond to them, but that may not be good enough, I see.
I'll start looking for a source of grass-fed meat. I used to buy a whole grass-fed lamb from a farmer in Ireland and that was the best meat I'd had in ages. BUT, we had to give it away when we started keeping Kosher because it wasn't shechted properly. How do you work around that in the US? Anyone know?
I am such a fan of acupuncture and Chinese medicine that I strongly recommend these to be your "go-to" in the event you have something that's resisting antibiotics or other Western medicine. My daughter fully recovered from the mumps in 5 DAYS with Chinese meds -- without them, she would have been sick for 5 WEEKS!
Re ethically raised, organically fed compassionately kosher-slaughtered meat: check out
Maya Shetrit, who has been working on this for some years, is doing really good things. Meat should be available by summer. (She does ship frozen meat, overnight, with dry ice; it is expensive.)
If you are on the East Coast, check out Elat Chayyim and the Adamah program at the Isabella Freedman Center in Connecticut. There is a group of young people who are learning organic farming, and one of the aspects is raising goats. Some male goats are shechted; I don't know if they would sell any of the meat.
For kosher/grassfed, check out Kol Foods--www.kolfoods.com. My husband and I have ordered from them and we have been thrilled with everything.
One of the reasons that farmers give the antibiotics is because cows are feed grain/corn, which is undigestable and not their natural diet. It is said that w/o antibiotics a cow will die within a very short time on the diet that they receive. So in order to keep them 'healthy' farmers give them antibiotics. This is one of the reasons why eating grass fed beef is healthier. Another health reason for consuming grass fed beef is that it has a high amount of Omega-3 fatty acid, which is the healthy fat that you also find in salmon.
Respectfully I must add some bits and pieces of what I remember from school, and working in the industry, seems like a lifetime ago. It's also a practice I disagree with. Antibiotic usage, I don't believe has much to do with digestibility. Feeds are designed from roughages (grasses) and concentrates (grains), and put together with targeted nutrient amounts to be contained in the total feed the animal eats.
My take, the demand of the public for more meat as a finished product brought about the need to raise animals faster. I agree that grass fed gets many additional nutrients naturally, but I imagine if that is all they are fed, it will take longer to get to market weight. That's where the concentrated grains come in to give more protein, fat, fiber... to the animal versus grasses only in a shorter amount of time. Needing to grow animals quicker, also would increase the number of animals raised on that land. Here's where you run into problems in the cleanliness factor of keeping things tidy in a crowded area. That's where I see the antibiotics factor in. Not great upkeep will take it's toll on immune systems, and more tendency for animals to get sick. If they have the low levels constantly, kind of a 'preventative' way to keep the animals 'well' in their stay at the facility. I know small farms that keep things clean, and have no need/ desire for medicated feeds. I imagine the same is true for larger places that have the land and ability to keep up their farms.
The 'factory farms', look at bottom line and turn around time. I think it's a big difference between stewards of the land and it just being business.
It was just my take in what I was around. Hopefully it's helpful and gives a wider view/ understanding.
I raise beef cattle and we creep feed the calves corn and oats. We are self sufficient growing our own corn, oats, and hay, so I know there are no chemicals introduced in the herd. We have raised cattle (closed herd) for over 25 years and have not had to use any antibiotics. As mentioned if you provide clean pastures that are not over crowded and have a closed herd there should not be a need to medicate. What is more seriuos, is what the FDA is allowing livestock industry to add to feed prior to slaughtering (NO WITHDRAWAL PERIOD). Mercola.com has some inlightning newsletters - a must read March 6, 2010, Ractopamine
is banned in 160 countries - including China - but is FDA approved for beef, pork, and poulrty in the USA!
This sounds scrumptious; I'll have to try it out on this weekend's visitors before Pesach...
Hm.
For some reason, the website I cited for finding grass-fed, kosher slaughtered meat did not come through. Let me try again:
mitzvahmeat@gmail.com
Ah, I just came up with a recipe for chocloate orange biscotti that i will post on my site soon. The combo of Chocolate and orange is a big hit! I will definitely try this double choc torte.
Thanks Elana!
This sounds SO easy, and looks so good. Definitely need to add this one to the "must make" list. Looks like one of those desserts you make when you have company. It'll wow them with little effort on the part of the cook!
Looks delicious. I will have to try this. Do you (or anyone else) ever substitute butter or coconut oil for the grapeseed oil in these recipes?
Hey Elana,
I've been blessed by your website as I walk the tough road of the candida diet. I am able to adapt many of your recipes to my restrictions as well as make up some new versions (such as peanut butter and carob power bars, and carrot cake power bars). I came today and saw this torte (tough on the cravings lol...guess that's my fault for looking!) and was wondering if you have much experience with carob? I have used it for the topping in the power bars in place of chocolate and it works great, but a whole torte...I just don't know. Seeing as I can't have any fruit but a small handful of berries a day, there's no way to add a banana or anything to...well...make it tastier. Any ideas for how to adapt these kinds of recipes to carob? Thanks, and your recipes are much appreciated! I am looking forward to some new passover recipes as we will be celebrating it soon!
Yahweh bless
Jelly
Just got your cookbook, but I think I have to make this before trying one of those recipes! I am craving chocolate and this is just perfectly simple. I will just pretend the antioxidants weigh out the overall lack of health factor with this dessert...and enjoy :) Looks very gooey and delightful.
Thanks again! I look forward to sharing your book and website with future clients and class attendees!
-
Laura
This post made me positively giddy! I cannot wait to make this. Before I discovered my gluten intolerance, I would indulge in an orange chocolate torte at my favorite restaurant. Since finding out about me and gluten :) I've had to stop, but ohhhhh... God... everytime I go to the restaurant, my heart breaks a little. And now! woohoo! Thanks for this.
This will be in my oven shortly. I don't care if it's 7:30am.
I made this last night for a friend who can't eat gluten. She can't eat tree nuts either, so I made this with a gluten-free flour blend and honey instead of agave, and it worked out really well! Thanks for a great recipe.
[...] Double-chocolate torte (I left off the orange) [...]
I am on the sixth round of antibiotics trying to get rid of a bad dental infection and it is not working. Thanks for opening everyone's eyes.
This looks absolutely delicious, as everything I see in this web. I will make it for sure, I´m a choco-addict.
Thanks a lot.
I made this cake last night and it is DELICIOUS! I love the orange essence. It may be one of my favorite chocolate cakes. I even served this to non gluten free people and everyone was asking me for the recipe, thanks Elana! Another great recipe from you. XO
Unfortunately the poor animals suffer extraordinary amounts for the food industry and to be able to meet the demand for all the people who want to eat it, the majority of the industry is going to be factory-style.
It's not only the antibiotics that are unhealthy for us. The amount of meat we eat is very bad for us as we're not adapted to eating such large amounts. It's been linked with many types of cancer including colon, and is high in cholesterol etc.
Milk is probs the worst for us as it's completely unnatural. It's meant for a calf. So the mothers are impregnated has her child taken away from her after only a few days. They mourn for weeks. But that milk will be full of puss, hormones, fat etc (along with the added antibiotics)... everything meant for a small animal to grow big and strong quickly. It's not good for us at all. Calcium can be obtained far more affectively from veg. The western world (where the most milk is consumed) has the highest level of osteoporosis (bone disease) and places such as Asia (where traditionally milk isn't drank) has the lowest. Go to milkmyth.org to find out more (think that's the right web address, if not type milk myth into google!).
This world can't sustain the meat industry for the number of people there are. If people stopped consuming animal products waterways would be less polluted, rainforests would stop being chopped down (where GM soya is grown for animal feed), greenhouses gases would be cut significantly, we would be able to feed third world countries (no more starvation). Such improvements there would be, but we are driven by a taste. That's all it is. Because it's so easy and much more healthy to live without it now.
Anyways, think I've rambled enough!! The recipe looks amazing and hope to try it out soon. Thanks for sharing this and other other info :-)
Hi Elana-
I made this for our supper club on Sat, Mar 20th. We had our 2010 launch party and I was in charge of desert. It had to be dairy free so I made this recipe along with a strawberry drizzle and homemade sugar free melon sorbet. Everyone loved it. Wish I would have taken a photo for you. It's so easy to let everyone know where I get my recipes. Must be the name... lol.
The torte was a hit. Everyone loved it and could hardly believe it was dairy free and gluten free and tasted so good. Oh, I also made the chocolate chip cookie recipe which turned out more to be a chocolate cookie with chunks of dark chocolate. They loved those too.
Thanks a bunch. Now to prepare for pesach. Happy Passover.
Elana
Dear Elana,
I HATEDETESTDESPISED Baking, always have. It's messy, time consuming, complicated and the outcome was usually disastrous.
Until I met your Almond flour, walnut cookies. Now I am a baking junkie.
ThankyouTHANKYOUthankYOU for making recipes so easy, consistent, and healthy!!!
Finally I can own a cupcake pan!
All the best~Lala
Yummy....thanks for speaking out on the feed lot beef. We recently switched over to grass fed beef. We found it for a reasonable price at our Local Trader Joes.
Jana
This was a DIVINE experience! Thank YOU! This one is getting filed away, to be made again and again and again...
I made this as the dessert for our Easter dinner and wow! Everyone loved it. I didn't have grapeseed oil on hand so I subbed in a stick of unsalted butter but otherwise followed the recipe. It's a keeper. Thanks so much for sharing.
elana,
thanks for this recipe (and all of your others too)!! i made it for our seder, serving it with candied orange peel, and it was very much enjoyed... since we only had four people, i'm still nibbling on the cake! i put it in the fridge, and i think eating it cold cuts the richness factor (somehow!) thanks again!
anna
I made this for our second Seder as well.
I had done a trial run earlier, and discovered that my husband does not like the taste of orange peel---alas. So I did another trial with coffee extract to add another flavor, and that tasted too sharp.
(I had to find alcohol-free extracts to be kosher for Passover.)
In the end, I skipped the orange peel and added some vanilla extract, and that was lovely.
Now that Passover is over---I think I'll try a drop of almond extract and some cinnamon, and call it Mexican Double Chocolate Torte. I'll let you know how it turns out.
[...] aquí te la damos. La siguiente receta es realmente espectacular y no deberías desaprovecharla: torta de naranja y doble chocolate. ¿Te queda alguna duda de que deberías prepararla cuanto [...]
[...] aquí te la damos. La siguiente receta es realmente espectacular y no deberías desaprovecharla: torta de naranja y doble chocolate. ¿Te queda alguna duda de que deberías prepararla cuanto [...]