---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.02

     Title: CHESTNUT ALMOND TORTE
Categories: Desserts, American
     Yield: 10 servings

     4    Egg yolks
   3/4 c  Sugar
 2 1/4 c  Heaping cups (roughly 1/2lb
          -unshelled chestnuts, peeled
          -and put through food mill)
     2 tb Dark rum
     1 c  Whole, shelled almonds,
          -blanched, peeled, and
          -put through food mill
     5    Egg whites
          Unsalted butter
          Flour

------------------CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM------------------
     3 oz Semisweet chocolate
     1 c  Heavy cream, whipped

-----------------------APRICOT GLAZE-----------------------
     3 tb Apricot jam
     1 tb Dark rum

----------------------CHOCOLATE ICING----------------------
     4 oz Semisweet chocolate
     6 tb Unsalted butter

 Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
 Beat yolks and sugar until very light and fluffy. This
 will take several minutes even with an electric
 beater. The end product should have an off-white color.
 Add chestnuts and run to yolk-sugar mixture. Blend
 together and add half the almonds.
 Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into mixture.
 Next, fold in rest of almonds and pour mixture into a
 buttered, floured, 10x2.5 inch spring mold.
 Place filled mold in oven. After 10 minutes, reduce
 heat to 325 deg F and bake for 35 to 50 minutes more,
 until cake has pulled away slightly from sides of mold.
 Remove from oven, let cool, unmold, and cut into two
 layers of equal thickness, leaving spring mold bottom
 attached to bottom of 1 layer. Apply chocolate whipped
 cream to top of bottom layer and arrange the other
 layer on top of that. Several hours before serving,
 glaze top of top layer with hot apricot glaze.
 When glaze has set, prepare icing. Balance cake in one
 hand, with hand under spring mold bottom, and dribble
 icing over top of cake. Tilt cake back and forth to
 coat evenly. Put cake on a rack and finish icing sides
 with a table knife or spatula. Refrigerate until icing
 sets. CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM FILLING:
   Place chocolate and 3 tb water in a small pan, over
 low flame. Stir until
   chocolate melts into water and mixture is smooth.
 Start with 3 tb water
   and add more if necessary for smooth texture.
   Cool, but do not refrigerate. Combine with whipped
 cream. APRICOT GLAZE:
   Heat jam until it thickens slightly.
   Add rum off heat and apply immediately to cake.
 CHOCOLATE ICING:
   Soften chocolate in a double boiler over simmering
 water.
   Add butter to chocolate. When butter melts, stir it
 into chocolate until
   mixture is smooth and all lumps have disappeared. If
 icing is too thick
   to pour, add more butter. If it is too loose, add a
 small amount of
   chocolate. It should coat the spoon heavily and drip
 slowly off.

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