Primary Ingredients
1½ cups pitted fresh Bing cherries, halved (about 1 pint)
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon Kirsch (cherry brandy)
¾ stick unsalted butter
3 large eggs
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Primary Technique
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan, knocking out excess flour.
- In a bowl stir together cherries, ¼ cup sugar, and Kirsch and macerate 15 min. Cut butter into pieces and separate eggs. Coarsely chop bittersweet chocolate, place in a double boiler of barely simmering water, melt chocolate with butter, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the top of the double boiler from heat and cool the mixture slightly. Stir in yolks, flour, and salt until combined well. Gently stir in cherries and chocolate chips until just combined.
- Use an electric mixer to beat whites until they hold soft peaks and gradually add the remaining ½ cup sugar, beating until whites just hold stiff glossy peaks. Stir half of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
- Pour batter into the pan and smooth top. Bake torte in middle of oven 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool torte in pan on a rack (top will fall slightly and crack). Run a thin knife around the edge of the torte and remove the side of the pan. May be made 1 day ahead and kept, loosely covered with plastic wrap, at cool room temperature. Serve with slightly sweetened whipped cream.
