Chocolate Almond Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream

For the past four years, I worked as a teacher in the 4 and 5 year old classroom at a preschool attached to Bryn Mawr College. While it was a campus job, only one thing I was doing in addition to my schoolwork, I developed a wonderful relationship with the lead teacher in the classroom. The more I worked, the more she let me bring my own ideas into the classroom.

A lot of these ideas were cooking projects (Eric Carle Caterpillar Cupcakes, Eyeball Cupcakes, Valentine's Day Heart Cookies, Dirt and Worms and even pizza and bread). It was so lovely to see the kids get so invested in these projects--they not only get sensory integration (mixing, pouring, etc.) but also math (measuring), colors (i.e. how do you make purple if you only have red, yellow and blue?) and for those that can, reading (what do we need for this recipe?). One of the moms told me that while she was shopping for an end of year teacher present, her 5-year-old boy told her it should be something with which I could decorate cupcakes.....and they found the coolest cupcake decorating tool from William Sonoma--perfect gift idea, kiddo! Thanks so much!!!

I have been so excited about this new cupcake decorating tool--as I'm definitely an amateur, I've been looking up tutorials on food blogs (I love this one). Today, I decided to test it out.

I used my basic chocolate cake, knowing that it would work out just fine.  However, we were out of canola oil, so I used olive oil instead. Afraid the olive oil flavor would be too prominent, I added 1/4 tsp almond extract.  It was delicious. I made my raspberry buttercream to go on top---thickening it with extra powdered sugar. (The jam makes it pink--no food coloring added this time!). I piped with a large star from the inside out-- et voilà, a rose!

Mulberry Peach Cobbler

So, I graduated from college one week ago today.  It's still completely surreal, but the feeling of summer is starting to seep in, one strawberry at a time.

***

In this age of ever-present technological devices equipped with the ability to just "Google it", there seems to be little exploring to do.  Once upon a time, finding "the nearest coffee shop" or a "café with local food for lunch" had the potential to be a whole adventure...it always seems as though you can find anything you would ever need by just looking it up on the internet.

That is, except mulberry trees.  While driving the other day, I saw the familiar sight of a black and purple splotched sidewalk below a leafy tree laden with mulberries. I would have stopped the car to pick a few, but I was on my way home and the tree was in someone's yard. Where, I thought to myself, are other good mulberry trees in Durham? I laughed when I realized that this, if anything, was certainly not Google-able.

When I went to the farmer's market with my mother this morning, there was a big mulberry tree, ripe with fruit, hanging over the path from the parking lot down to the market.

After our shopping (and a delicious strawberry crostada from Scratch bakery), we stopped by to pick mulberries.

***

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to make cobblers. They are so, so unbelievably easy that they can be an almost instant desert. They highlight whatever fruit is in season at the market (or can be made in the middle of winter with a bag of frozen fruit for a nostalgic trip back to June).

At the market this morning, we bought fresh NC peaches in addition to many other gorgeous veggies that I can't wait to cook this week.

A cobbler is really only 4 steps.

1. Preheat oven to 375º.
2. Cut up fruit (in this case, 4-5 smallish peaches and then just throw in a cup or so of mulberries) and toss with juice of 1 lemon and a handful of brown sugar (maybe 1/3 c?).
3. Sprinkle oats and brown sugar on top.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Serve warm, maybe even with vanilla ice cream on top.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I am so, so close to being done with college forever. I have 8 pages finished out of a 12 page paper, and 1,600 words out of 3000 for another. Then done. Just a few words....

That said, I am going to write more words right now, words that have nothing to do with Homi Bhabha's post-colonial theory or hunger strikers in the Women's Suffrage Movement. Words that get me no closer to finishing my undergraduate career...

This is a favorite old recipe, one my mom used to make every time we had bananas that were mushy and too ripe to eat. It's adapted from Fannie Farmer (I suppose I'm on a Fannie Farmer streak, if two recipes can count as a streak), but the substitution of chocolate chips for walnuts was a brilliant move on the part of my mother.

• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 2 c flour
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2-3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add the eggs and mix together. Combine the dry ingredients in another bowl and add to the banana-egg mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips, and pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.  Bake at 350º for 50-60 minutes.

Creamy Parmesan Orzo

One of my best friends visited me this weekend for May Day, which is a beautiful end of year festival at Bryn Mawr.  Everyone wears white, dances around the may pole as well as the may hole (the feminist response to the may pole, a Bryn Mawr tradition--see below) and then sits out on the green listening to music.

It was a lovely, gorgeous and fun day which began with mimosas and strawberries and cream at 8 am and lasted until late in the day.  

When we woke up the next morning, we were starving. I opened up the fridge and saw, well, not much. Our choices, I said to Dylan, are pasta, or pasta. I was planning on making orzo with olive oil and salt (plain, ridiculously easy and still delicious especially with good olive oil!), but then I had an idea. 

When I was in high school, I used to babysit for a family every week. In the beginning, I made the younger daughter Annie's Shells or Kraft mac n' cheese for dinner as it was easy for all of us. One day though, we were out of both those options. I decided to make homemade mac n' cheese using Fannie Farmer's recipe for Béchamel (White Sauce). Every week after that for the next few years, I was asked to make "Anna's Mac n' Cheese", as the younger daughter dubbed it. 

I thought of this simple sauce yesterday, but was out of "mac n' cheese cheese" (I like to use a sharp cheddar). I had a pre-grated container of Trader Joe's parmesan and romano mix, so decided to use that.

The result was perfectly creamy and delicious, completely easy yet impressive.  Some kind of greens (kale in garlic and olive oil or roasted asparagus) would go well with it--but that would involve a trip to the grocery store!

• 2 tbs butter
• 2 tbs flour
• 1-1/4 c milk, heated
• 1/2 to 1 c grated parmesan (or other) cheese*
• salt
• pepper

*The amount of cheese you put in is really up to your own taste. When I made it for the girls I babysat, I would always let them "test" for the appropriate level of cheesiness.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then stir in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes until a paste is formed (be careful not to let it burn). Add the milk and stir until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and continue to stir while it cooks for another minute or two. Add the cheese and stir in to let it melt. Taste test for "appropriate cheesiness" and remove from heat. Mix into the pasta and serve.

Note: A skin will develop over the sauce if it is left for two long, but if you're not using it right away you can cover or pour a thin layer of milk over it.

Olive Tapenade

My mother is an amazing cook and baker. I have learned most of my culinary skills by watching and helping her cook.

When I was little, I remember my mom making loaves of gorgeous french bread and fresh olive tapenade when guests would come over. The cut french bread was placed in baskets, and served with the tapenade as an appetizer. I would eat piece after piece of the delicious bread topped with the salty tapenade. Often, I had to be told to "leave some for the guests".

I remembered the olive tapenade a month or so ago, when I was asked to host a Tu B'Shevat dinner. Since the dinners at Batten are all vegan, I left out the anchovies; even without them, the dish was as perfect as I remembered it to be. Even a friend who said she "didn't like olives" immediately fell in love with it.

This is my mom's recipe (I have no idea where she got it). It takes 5 minutes to make in the Cuisinart (so with this bread it's a total of 10 minutes prep time!), and is a perfect appetizer for any kind of party. Like most easy salsas and spreads, the amount of each ingredient can be varied some to taste.

Olive Tapenade

• 1 c pitted kalamata olives* (make sure you buy them pitted--pitting them yourself takes forever!)
• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp minced garlic 
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 4 flat anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry (optional if making it vegan or vegetarian)

*I have tasted many types of olive tapenade, and in my opinion it is always better when made with kalamata olives, rather than other green or black varieties.

The stunningly difficult directions: "Put all ingredients in a food processor".  Pulse until combined and spreadable (not long).

Glazed Lemon Coconut Cupcakes

Made these for Batten dinner tonight, inspired by a recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Veganomicon. It's supposed to be made as bundt cake (which bakes for an hour and fifteen minutes), but I adapted the recipe and made it into mini cupcakes with a glaze. They are very moist, lemony, and quite delicious!! The glaze also makes them really pretty--I think they would make a great vegan party snack option....

Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 2/3 c canola oil
• 1 (13.5 or 14-oz) can coconut milk
• 1/4 c soy milk
• 1/4 c lemon juice
• 3 tbs lemon zest
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 c flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350º. Line mini cupcake tins with cupcake liners (if you use mini loaf pans, line the bottom with parchment paper and grease the sides). In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, oil, coconut milk, soy milk, zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract. In another bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt).  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. 

Fill the cupcake tins 3/4 full (or, the mini loaf pans 1/3 full).  Bake 12 minutes for mini cupcakes (20-25 for mini loaves), or until a cake tester comes out clean. 

Lemon Glaze*

• 3 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 c soy milk
• powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla

*A quick confession---I didn't measure the ingredients for the glaze so this is an approximation.

Combine the lemon juice, zest, soy milk and vanilla. Whisk in powdered sugar until the glaze is the consistency you desire (this is in the royal icing family, so it should be liquify but when drizzled on the cupcakes should harden a bit). Use a spoon to drip the icing onto the cupcakes (or mini loaves--see below).

Holy Crack*! (*aka Chocolate Toffee Matzo Crunch with Toasted Almonds)

Around Passover, there's this desperate urge to try and do things with matzo to make it more interesting. Some are odd (i.e. Chocolate Bacon Matzo Brittle...I don't keep Kosher, but this just doesn't seem right), some are classic (Ruth Reichel's Matzo Brei), and some are, well, effing brilliant.

Marcy Goldman invented something called Chocolate Caramel Matzo Crunch.  In commonly used slang, it's referred to as "crack", because it's so darn addicting.  Everyone who's in the Pesach know understands exactly what you mean when you say, "Hey, I made some crack....that crack matzo stuff".  And they all come running.

It's one of those things that's really, really easy to make, and unbelievable addicting (kind of like these no-bake chocolate peanut butter cookies that I have yet to take a picture of because they always seem to disappear right after I make them....).

• 4-6 unsalted matzos
• 2 sticks of butter, cut into large pieces
• 1 c brown sugar*
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• large pinch salt
• 1 1/2 c semi sweet chocolate chips, or chopped bittersweet chocolate (I used a combo of 70% and semisweet since I didn't have enough of either....)
• toasted sliced almonds

*Now might be the time to talk about making your own brown sugar in a pinch.  Just measure out some white sugar and put in in a bowl. Add a bit of molasses (more molasses=darker brown sugar) and mix together. Measure out however much of it you need (amount white sugar ≠ amount brown sugar made).

Preheat the oven to 350º. Line a cookie sheet (a baking tray with sides works best so the toffee doesn't spill) with aluminum foil. Cut a piece of parchment paper so it fits the bottom of the tray and put that over the aluminum foil. Cover the bottom of the tray with pieces of matzo (fit them together like puzzle pieces as best you can).

Melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat in a saucepan, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Let boil for three minutes or so, continuing to stir (it will thicken). Turn off the heat and quickly stir in the vanilla and salt.

Pour the liquid toffee over the matzo as close to turning off the stove as possible (you don't want it to solidify), covering as much of the matzo as you can (you may need to spread it over some parts with a spoon).  Bake for 15 minutes (make sure it doesn't burn though!).

As soon as you take it out, sprinkle the chocolate over the top of the toffee matzo. Wait a few minutes, then spread the chocolate around with a spatula. Sprinkle the toasted almonds and some sea salt on top.

Cool in the fridge so that you can eat it (all) as soon as possible.

Raspberry Blackberry Coconut Macaroons

As I thought about what to make for Passover this year, I came upon SmittenKitchen's Raspberry Coconut Macaroons.

As usual, I stumbled upon the recipe at 10 pm at night. I looked in the closet--I had an almost full 14 oz bag of coconut. I'll just halve the recipe, I thought. I was pretty sure I had some frozen berries, so I began to throw ingredients in the blender.

After putting in the three egg whites, I realized that I hadn't actually halved the recipe.  Oops!  I didn't have any fresh berries, so ignoring the advice not to use frozen berries, I threw in a small handful of frozen blackberries and raspberries (filling the palm of my hand, but not much more than that). I also used vanilla extract instead of almond. I didn't marble them as Deb suggested (another--"oops, too late!" moment so familiar to the impatient cook), but the pinkish-purple color was pretty anyway.

They took five minutes to make (plus another 30 in the oven), and were so delicious that they begged the question "Why the hell don't I make these more often?!"

The raspberries and blackberries gave a delicious tangy flavor that didn't let the coconut overwhelm the flavor of the macaroon.

I made them again the next day, after going to the grocery store to grab two more bags of coconut. I doubled the recipe and then drizzled chocolate on top.

Here's my version (adapted very slightly) of her recipe:

• 14 oz sweetened, flaked coconut
• 2/3 c sugar
• 3 egg whites (I added an extra half egg white when I doubled the recipe)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• slight dash almond extract (optional--I did it without the first time and they were delicious!)
• small handful frozen raspberries and blackberries (I would say maybe 10-12 berries total?)

Pulse the coconut in the Cuisinart for a minute or so.  Add the sugar and pulse again until mixed together. Pour in the egg whites, vanilla extract, almond extract (if using), and salt. Pulse again, and then lastly add the berries.  Mix together; the batter will be pretty wet, but it holds together! Bake at 325º for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are tinged with golden brown and look a bit drier.

Drizzle with melted semisweet chocolate chips--this makes the macaroons look almost like fancy truffles!

Eyeball Cupcakes: a Preschool Baking Project

         I love doing cooking projects with kids.  It can incorporate everything, from color mixing (frosting/food coloring) to math (measuring), to thinking about the senses (what does vanilla extract smell like? what does mixing flour feel like? etc.).  


         
         The kiddos I teach are 4 and 5. In the early spring, we do a "body unit", where we learn about our bodies. We start with emotions, then go into learning about our five senses, then germs, and then finally muscles, nerves, bones, etc. It's always my favorite unit of the year.... And of course, we needed to make cupcakes themed with the body (see Valentines Day cookies, Eric Carle cupcakes for environmental awareness/learning about our world unit). I thought about it, and realized that cupcakes lend their shape perfectly to EYEBALLS. We got to talk about why our eyes are different colors (genes="messages" from our moms and dads), what the different parts of the eyeballs are (iris, pupil, etc.), as well as remembering how our eyes help us see!

         The cupcakes are the same, reliable Lauren Chattman Vanilla Birthday Cake recipe (see Eric Carle Cupcakes). I made them with the kids, letting them do the adding and the stirring (and the reading of the recipe, if they were able to). I helped them spread on the white frosting, and we piped the irises and pupils on together.Here is my (very minimal) adaptation of her recipe, from Mom's Big Book of Baking (a much loved cookbook, I highly recommend it!).

Vanilla Cupcakes

• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 c milk
• 1 tbs vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 c cake flour (though I use regular all-purpose sometimes and it's fine...)
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 sticks butter, softened

         Preheat the oven to 350 and line cupcake tins.  Cream the butter and the sugar, and then add in the eggs.  In a separate bowl, mix the other dry ingredients together.  Add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet ones, and then fill cupcake tins to 2/3 full.  Bake for 20 minutes.




Buttercream Frosting:

• 2 sticks butter (I used salted butter for the frosting this last time and it was AWESOME.)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• dash lemon extract (this keeps it from being too sweet--around 1/8 to 1/4 of a tsp)
• 1 16 oz. box confectioners' sugar
• 1 tbsp milk

         Blend butter, vanilla, and milk in large bowl with a mixer; mix on medium high until fluffy.  Add the confectioner's sugar a little at a time until frosting is light and fluffy. Add more milk and/or powdered sugar to adjust the consistency. For a very cheap, workable way to pipe the frosting, cut the corner off of a ziplock bag and spoon the frosting into it.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake(s)

         Last week, I made the famous Smitten Kitchen red wine chocolate cake with mascarpone whipped cream frosting.  It was, as promised, unbelievably decadent and delicious.  It's one of those cakes you can make to impress people...

         For the surprisingly easy recipe, go here. 

****

         When I got back to my lovely vegan co-op house, I wanted to try my own version--sans eggs, whipped cream, mascarpone, or butter. 

         I took my favorite chocolate cake recipe and adapted it.  I love what Deb says about red wine chocolate cake, that it's the "true red velvet cake".  I agree completely, as this cake comes out a beautiful, dark red color.


Vegan Red Wine Chocolate Cake with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

The Cake:

         Preheat your oven to 350º and line the bottom of two 8x8 pans with parchment paper and grease the sides. I made this cake square, but I think it might work better in round cake pans. Mix together in a large bowl:

• 2/3 cup oil
• 2 tbs vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 c red wine 
• 1/2 c water
• 1 3/4 c sugar (you may want a little more depending on how sweet you want your cake--up to 2 c maybe)

Mix together dry ingredients in another bowl:

• 3 c flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 7 tbs (1/3 c + 2 tbs) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

         Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix together. Split the batter into the two 8 x 8 pans, and bake for 28 minutes or so, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.

The Frosting:

• 1/2 c Earth Balance (EB) or other vegan butter substitute, softened 
• 20 oz powdered sugar (I used 1 1 lb bag plus a bit more)
• 1/4 c unsweetened soy milk (these amounts are adjustable depending on texture)
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp egg replacer (this gives the frosting a really pretty shine, but it's not necessary!)

         Using an electric mixer, beat the EB until somewhat fluffy (it doesn't fluff up as much as butter).  Begin adding the powdered sugar a little at a time and mix at medium-high speed until combined.  Add the soy milk, cinnamon, egg replacer (again, optional), vanilla extract and lemon zest and beat at high speed for a few minutes until frosting is fluffy and smooth (it will not get as fluffy as real buttercream). You want it at a texture that is spreadable but not drippy (mine was a little on the drippy side, but I ran out of powdered sugar). Add more powdered sugar if need be to make the frosting the consistency you would like it.

         Put the first layer down on the plate, and spread some of the frosting on the top. Add the second cake, and frost the top and sides. For the cinnamon flower, cut out a flower (or any shape you choose) our of a paper bag, and place it gently over the top of the cake after the frosting has hardened slightly. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top, then gently and carefully lift off the bag.

Update: The cupcake version...

Update # 2: It's also adorable as a birthday cake (the following is the SK version, but I made it with cinnamon buttercream):

Poppy Seed Hamantaschen

 I've always loved the Jewish holiday Purim, as it falls around my birthday (today!) every year. It celebrates the story of how Queen Esther saved the Jews from Haman, who wanted to kill them all.


The holiday is kind of like a Jewish halloween, and children dress up in costumes. People give candy and cookies to their friends (and the old tradition is that the adults are supposed to get so drunk that they can't tell the difference between Mordechai (Esther's husband, the good king) and Haman.
My favorite part about Purim is hamantaschen, traditional cookies that are shaped into triangles, the supposed shape of Haman's hat.

The recipe for the dough (which at the moment I am not going to post) was passed onto my mother by an 84 year-old Jewish woman from our synagogue. Happily, I can say that she agreed to give me the recipe! She is a wonderful baker, and the dough is absolutely perfect. These, and I can say this with confidence, are the best hamantaschen I have ever had (and the local bakery was selling the cookies for $1.20 apiece!). 


The cookies can be filled with any sort of jam (raspberry is delicious), chocolate chips, prune filling, or poppy seed.


Pearl's Hamantaschen

• 3/4 c sugar
• 2 c flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c shortening
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs orange juice

Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl*. Work in the shortening, and add the egg and orange juice. Chill for a few hours in the refrigerator. Roll between waxed paper (I only used one piece of wax paper below, not above, though she says it makes them thinner) and cut into circles to be filled (see below for filling).

*This is simplified easily: put the dry ingredients in a Cuisinart, and add the egg and orange juice and pulse until combined (like making pastry dough). Chill and bake as above.

Poppy seed hamantaschen are my favorite, so I filled all of mine with the following filling. I adapted the recipe from an old cookbook of my mom's (which I now can't remember the name of).

Poppy seed Filling

• 1 c poppy seeds
• 1/3 c raisins, chopped into tiny pieces
• 2 tbs (at least) orange peel, chopped into tiny pieces (you can zest the orange, but I like to slice off the skin and chop it into tiny pieces---it gives the texture more depth)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 c water 
• 1/4 c honey
• 1/4 c sugar

         Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook on medium to medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  It is done when it has thickened, around 10 minutes. Let cool.

Roll out the dough (which has been chilled) as thinly as possible on a floured surface, and cut into circles (I used a biscuit cookie cutter). Don't do all the dough at once, but small sections of it. Keep the rest in the fridge while you roll out each section. Fill with a little bit of filling (it depends on how big your circles are!) and wet the outside of the circle with a little bit of water (dip your finger in a little cup of water and run it around the edge of the circle). Then, pinch the corners together.

Bake at 375º for 13-15 minutes.

Almond Macaroon Torte with Chocolate Frosting

        This, like many of the desserts I've been making, is a SmittenKitchen adaptation. My birthday is on Monday, and I celebrated it tonight with my family. I desperately wanted the almond and raspberry layer cake with chocolate frosting, but with a dairy allergy in the family the buttercream frosting was a no-go.

This torte looked just as beautiful and complicated---and it was surprisingly easy! I followed her idea to use bittersweet chocolate, but didn't read the amount right and so only bought 1 bar of Scharffenberger 70% instead of two. I ended up mixing semi-sweet chocolate chips and bittersweet chocolate--this worked just fine, but the sweetness of the chocolate overpowered the macaroon a little. If When I make this again, I will use all 70% chocolate and add some raspberry jam and more slivered almonds between the layers in addition to the frosting! Again, the following recipe is adapted from Deb at SmittenKitchen (very slightly...most of the directions are hers):

Almond macaroons

• 2 1/2 cups (10.5 ounces or 300 grams) slivered almonds (or an equivalent weight of blanched, sliced or already ground almonds)

• 1 c plus 3 tbs sugar

• 2 large pinches kosher salt

• 2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 
6 large egg whites

Frosting and assembly


• 1/2 c water
• 
1/2 c sugar

• 1/2 tsp orange oil or extract
• 20 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70-72%), chopped 
• 1 c sliced almonds, toasted (at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes on a tray, stirring once or twice)

First, make the macaroons: 
        Position an oven rack in the top and lower third of oven and preheat oven to 325°F. Draw two 12 x 4-inch rectangles, spacing 2 inches apart (I like Deb, have a smallish oven--I used the 3 3/4 x 11-inch rectangles!) on a piece of parchment paper, then two more of the same size on a second sheet. In total, you’ll use 2 sheets of parchment paper and draw 4 rectangles. Turn each sheet of parchment over (so your ink or pencil lines don’t seep into the macaroon). There is no need to spray with oil, though if you are really worried about sticking you can (I used a flat metal spatula to help lift mine off after it was cool--I had no problems there!)
        Place almonds, 1 cup sugar and coarse salt in a food processor and blend until finely ground.
        Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large, dry bowl with clean beaters (or a whisk attachment) until soft peaks form. Drizzle in vanilla extract, then slowly add remaining 3 tablespoons sugar. Beat until stiff but not dry. Fold nut mixture into egg whites. Spread 1/4 of macaroon batter evenly within each rectangle, filling completely.
        Bake macaroon layers until golden and almost firm to the touch in the center, reversing sheets halfway through — this took a total of 23 minutes in my oven as well as Deb's; the original recipe (from Bon Appetit) says it can take up to 40. 
Cool macaroons on their sheets on a cooling rack.


Make the frosting as the macaroons are cooling: 
        Simmer 1/2 cup of water and sugar in a medium saucepan until sugar dissolves. Measure 10 tablespoons from this and save it for another use (I ran out of frosting as I spread mine too thick so I used this to make more!). Put the 10 tablespoons syrup back in the saucepan and add the orange extract (or other extract of your choice). Bring the syrup back to a boil and add chocolate to the saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate until smooth. This should yield a medium-thick frosting, good for spreading. If yours is on the thin side, you can let it cool for 5 or 10 minutes until it is a good spreading consistency.

Assemble torte: 
        Trim your macaroon layers back to their intended rectangular sizes — for me, a sharp knife worked just fine. 
        Place one macaroon layer on a long platter. (Slip little pieces of parchment or waxed paper under the edges will help keep your platter clean; pull them out when you’re done frosting the torte.) Spread some frosting evenly over (my suggestion: after adding the frosting, spread a thin later or raspberry jam, and more sliced almonds). Top with another macaroon layer. Spread more frosting evenly over, and repeat process one more time. I had extra edges that were enough to make a 5th layer, but I also trimmed my macaroons to 9" in length rather than their original 11" so that they would fit on my pretty new platter! Top with the last macaroon layer, flat side up. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of torte. Press sliced almonds onto sides of torte.

        To make the hearts on top, cut a strip of parchment paper at least the length and width of the cake. Make a cutout of a heart (I used the same cutout so all the hearts would be the same. Crush some of the slivered almonds, and sprinkle them through the cutout. Repeat until you have the three hearts!

An extra reason to make this torte: this recipe also happens to be dairy-free, gluten-free, and kosher for Passover (my next opportunity to make it again!).