Chocolate Cashew Mousse Torte

Drat that Felix! Again with the distractions from the noble art of blogging...

June 22, 2008

Before I get into the Torte, let me say a few words about culinary content here on MoMP. A few kind people have commented asking for the Cupcake Alligator recipe, and while I'm flattered, I can't comply. I don't feel I can publish or distribute a recipe out here on the interwebs unless it's my own in some way. (In the case of the cupcake alligator, I followed the instructions from Ladies Home Journal article to the letter.) If I can find an active link to something I've written about, then I will post that. If I've tweaked a recipe into something new, I'll publish it. Otherwise, I'm respectfully leaving other people's culinary business to themselves.

So, two weekends ago was Fabulous T's birthday, and we didn't get to see her until this past Saturday night for our opening deck evening of the season. In honor of her birthday, I elected to make her a cake. So, I grabbed some pages from Martha Stewart Living, February 2008, and wrote up a shopping list for the Cake of the Month.

Let me say this, I always love the concept of MS's recipes, but I seldom agree with the application of techniques. This one was refreshingly almost without technical "huh?" moments, except for the salt. Salted cashews, and an ill advised amount of added salt in pretty much every step. There's the salt that's necessary in baked goods, for flavor balance and whatnot, and then there's the lust appeal for salty-sweet (come here, you Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, you!), and then, there was this cake. I found it only marginally edible, once I imagined the salty flavor before actually taking a bite. Being prepared for the saltiness made it more palatable.

So, should you ever consider this cake, consider the salt beforehand.