Happy March 13th!
March is Women’s History Month!
Talk about women that decided to say screw it when they were told that women can’t do all the things men can. Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, known as Annie Londonderry, was the first woman to ride her bike around the world. She embarked on her journey in 1894 and finished it nearly fifteen months later in 1895. During her trip, she challenged everyone’s idea of what women could do and abandoned the traditional role of a woman. Allegedly, this trip was set in motion by men that bet her she couldn’t make the trip in fifteen months, but there are many that are skeptical about the accuracy of that story. Regardless of what set her bike ride in motion, she made history when she finished 14 days shy of her 15-month deadline.
March 13th is Coconut Torte Day!
History
As far as I can tell, torte is a fancy name for cake. The only discernable differences seem to be that a torte is shorter and thicker than a cake because it often uses way less flour if it is used at all. The idea of putting coconut in cake seems to date back to the 1920s when it was served in small cakes at gatherings which eventually led to coconut being incorporated into a variety of desserts until the coconut torte was created.
As seems to be the never-ending cycle of holidays without known histories, who knows why coconut torte was chosen to be celebrated on this particular day. Was it a coconut torte enthusiast? Someone really passionate about putting coconut in desserts? A bakery? The world may never know.
My Celebration
I decided to make a torte. I thought it was going to be kind of difficult, but it was just as easy as making a homemade cake.
Chocolate Coconut Torte
Time:
- 5-10 minutes to crush the wafer
- 10-15 minutes to prepare chocolate layer
- 1-2 hours to refrigerate chocolate layer
- 5-10 minutes to prepare coconut layer
- 5-6 hours to refrigerate coconut layer
Difficulty: Easy
Materials:
- Mixing bowl
- 9-inch springform pan
- Saucepan
Ingredients:
Crust
- 12 ounces vanilla wafers, crushed
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
Chocolate Layer
- 12 ounces semi-sweet baker’s chocolate
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Coconut Layer
- 2 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions:
Step 1
Using a food processor or a plastic bag, crush the wafers into small, fine pieces. Mix with the melted butter until it creates a crumbly mixture.
Step 2
Press the mixture into the bottom of a greased springform pan until it is even.
Step 3
In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of heavy whipping cream to a boil. Cut the baker’s chocolate into pieces and add them to the cream mixture. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth.
Step 4
Pour the chocolate layer over the crust and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Step 5
In a saucepan, combine the cream, eggs, sugar, flour, and salt. Mix well. Bring to a boil over low heat. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring consistently.
Step 6
Remove from heat and stir in the coconut, butter, and vanilla extract.
Step 7
Pour on top of chocolate layer. Refrigerate for 5-6 hours or until coconut firms up.
Step 8
Enjoy!
TL;DR: Torte be or not torte be. That is the question… definitely torte be.