Pumpkin Fudge Torte

Published Nov. 18, 2020

Pumpkin Fudge Torte
Lucy Schaeffer for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)
Total Time
1 hour, plus cooling
Rating
4(1,469)
Comments
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With a texture that falls somewhere between pudding and ganache, this bittersweet torte is silky smooth and very rich. The whipped cream topping, run through with spiced pumpkin purée, is a fluffy contrast to the torte’s denseness. You can make the torte two days ahead. Store it, well wrapped, in the refrigerator, then let it come to room temperature before serving.

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Ingredients

Yield:10 to 12 servings

    For the Torte

    • ¾cup/170 grams unsalted butter (1½ sticks), plus more for greasing the pan
    • cups/275 grams dark brown sugar
    • ½cup/45 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
    • ½teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ½cup/120 milliliters pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
    • 2large eggs, at room temperature
    • ¾cup/95 grams all-purpose flour

    For the Pumpkin Cream

    • 1cup/240 milliliters heavy cream
    • 4tablespoons/30 grams confectioners’ sugar
    • cup/80 milliliters pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
    • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

324 calories; 20 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 26 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 126 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-inch springform pan.

  2. Step 2

    Place a small saucepan over medium-low heat, then add butter. Let heat, stirring with a spoon once or twice, until butter melts. Turn off the heat.

  3. Step 3

    In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa and salt. Pour melted butter into the cocoa mixture and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool until lukewarm, about 5 to 10 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Whisk pumpkin purée into the cooled cocoa mixture, then whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Whisk in flour until smooth and silky looking.

  5. Step 5

    Pour the batter into prepared pan, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Bake until the top of the cake is firm and doesn’t wiggle if you shake the pan, 30 to 40 minutes. Using oven mitts, transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely, at least 2 hours.

  6. Step 6

    Make the cream: In a large mixing bowl using electric beaters or an electric mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the cream and 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar until thick and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Store whipped cream in the fridge for up to 6 hours if not using immediately.

  7. Step 7

    Just before serving, in a small bowl, vigorously whisk the remaining 3 tablespoons/25 grams confectioners’ sugar, pumpkin and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and no white lumps of sugar remain, about 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the pumpkin mixture into the whipped cream until very streaky.

  8. Step 8

    Run a small offset metal spatula or butter knife around the inner edges of the cake pan, then release the sides of the cake pan and remove them. Place the torte, still on the bottom of the pan, onto a platter. Dollop the pumpkin-streaked whipped cream on top and sprinkle lightly with pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,469 user ratings
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Comments

I'd like to make this as individual cupcakes - fun anytime, and a more "socially distanced" dessert for this unique holiday season. Any suggestions as to how to tweak the recipes - in particular, bake time and temp?

I recommend either King Arthur All-Purpose GF Flour or Authentic Foods' Multiblend GF flour (especially the latter). I've been baking GF for 16 years and these are the most reliable and the tastiest we've been able to find, and we've tried everything! Generally one needs to add 1/2 tsp xanthan gum per 1 cup GF flour blend.

1 1/2 to 2lbs Yukon gold potatoes 1 1/2 to 2lbs sweet potatoes Butter for baking dish 2 1/2 cups shredded gruyere cheese ( 10oz) 1 1/2TBsp minced fresh rosemary Kosher salt, pepper 1 cup heavy cream 1-2 cloves garlic minced Preheat oven 450• Peel thinly sliced potatoes & sweet potatoes. Butter 9x13 3-4 qt baking dish. Set aside 1/2 cup of cheese Alternate layers of sweet potatoes & potatoes, sprinkle each layer with some cheese, rosemary, salt & pepper Combine cream & minced garlic.

Subbed shaved chocolate for cinnamon on top. Made GF with KAF GF Flour and it didn’t have the height I wanted it to have. Otherwise, the flavor and moistness was top notch!

Made this when I needed to make a fall dessert quickly, and it turned out beautifully! Truly delicious and very easy. Glad I followed someone else's note to whip the cream into very stiff peaks before adding in the pumpkin.

Reduced the sugar by 1/3 and browned the butter first because when it’s fall I want that little caramel nuance to my baked goods. I mixed the cake batter all on the pot that I browned the butter in after it was cool. Used King Arthur 1:1 to make it gluten free. Realized that I was out of powdered sugar and so used 1 TB of maple syrup with the cream and 1 TB maple syrup with the pumpkin. It was sweet enough, and we all loved the end result!

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