Can't leave this cake alone. The sumptuous smell filling my home, the exotic flavor of chiles with chocolate, the endless possible variations....
Day 6 - the work torte. Like a lot of employers, mine has a food culture thing going that includes somebody bringing treats every Friday. When I brought this cake, made just like before with pecans and a little bit of cayenne, it vanished immediately from the break room - always a good sign.
Day 8 - frosted chile pecan torte. A man I know suggested this cake needs frosting. Not really seeing how this perfect little confection needs anything at all, but always willing to experiment, this time the cake received a little buttercream on top and down the sides. Strangely, I prefer this cake without the beloved buttercream. Frosting detracts from the trademark chile flavor, and I won't ice this cake again. It's still fine to serve it with a little ice cream or whipped cream, however.
Day 12 - nonlethal version. My dear friend A. is a Spanish teacher, artist, extraordinary gardener, and quite possibly the most meticulously straight forward and ethical human being I know. She's also allergic to nuts. She quipped, "You're making all these cakes, and we haven't gotten even one. We're Hispanic, and ours better have chile." Or something like that; it's paraphrasing.
SO I found a way to make my version of Michelle's wonderful Chile Chocolate Torte without nuts, since I so very much prefer A. enjoy it and still live. Here's how it went. Dried cherries, the snack kind that are slightly sweetened and surprisingly have a tiny bit of oil on them, soaked overnight in kirsch, replaced the nuts. As with all chile chocolate cakes, this smelled outrageously delicious baking. Dropped the Chile Chocolate Torte with Cherries onto A.'s kitchen table while the family was out celebrating her daughter's 22nd birthday. Didn't actually taste this particular cake, but I hear it was good. "¡maravillo-el pastel!"
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