Lakes Region Foodie — Cranberry, date and hazelnut torte with Grand Marnier poached cranberries

As we enter the winter season, cranberries are a wonderful addition to the kitchen. It's the deep red color that catches one's eye immediately. Their bold tartness is easily mellowed with sugar or honey. Although cranberry and whole orange is very popular, it’s not one of my favorite combinations. I find the bitterness of the orange peel intensifies the cranberries bitterness. I prefer using just Grand Marnier or other complementing flavors such as star anise, cloves and vanilla.

This torte recipe evolved from a steam pudding recipe in my first cookbook, "The American Baker." What is unusual about the recipe is that the batter doesn’t contain any sugar. The dates are a substitute. It also provides a stronger date flavor. This is an easy recipe to make, you only need to have patience while mixing the dates with the butter. It is very similar to a dense fruit cake, but with cleaner flavor since it uses fresh ingredients and no heavily colored candied fruit. The sweet dates soften the tart cranberries and the hazelnuts add a wonderful secondary flavor and texture. You do need to toast hazelnuts slightly to bring out their flavor and remove most of the sharp skin.

When buying cranberries look for plump, deep red colored berries that are firm to the touch. Firmness is a prime indicator of freshness and the richer the color, the higher in phytonutrients. Medjool dates are the finest, but if you can’t find them then regular dates are fine. Choose soft dates but If the dates are hard you can easily revive them. Place them in a bowl and pour hot water over them until 50% covered and let stand for 1 hour to soften, drain off water before using. I always cut the dates by hand so that I know there won’t be any pits in the batter.

Cranberry, date and hazelnut torte 

6 ounces unsalted butter (room temperature)

2 extra large eggs

1-1/2 cups pitted dates

3/4 cup cake flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup whole milk

12 ounces fresh cranberries

1 cup lightly toasted hazelnuts

Adjust oven rack to lowest level and preheat oven to 350˚F.

Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan, line the bottom with parchment paper and then butter the top of the parchment. Dust with flour, then tap out extra flour. Set aside until needed.

Cut the dates into three slices and discard any pits. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the dates and soft butter. Attach the beater or paddle tool, mix on medium speed for five minutes to blend the dates with butter. The dates will start to break down into small pieces and darken the butter. Stop the mixer. Scrape down the bottom, sides and paddle for even mixing. Continue mixing until for another 5 minutes.

Add eggs one at a time to the butter and date mixture allowing each to be incorporated before adding the next. Sift flour and baking powder together. Add half the flour mixture and mix well. Add the milk and then the rest of the flour, mixing after each addition.

Mix in the cranberries and hazelnuts only until evenly distributed. Spoon into the cake pan and gently press level into the pan. Bake until the center is set to the touch, springs back slightly, about 25-30 minutes. Place the pan placed on a wire rack to cool completely.

Poached Grand Marnier Cranberries

1 cup of water

1 1/4 sugar

12 ounces cranberries

1/4 cup Grand Marnier

In a medium size stainless steel pot, stir the water and sugar together until the sugar is dissolved. Heat to a fast boil and add the cranberries. Remove from the heat and gently stir in the Grand Marnier until the cranberries are coated with syrup. Cover and let cool completely. Once completely cooled, pour into a clean container and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To serve, cut in half and then slice each half into thin portions. Top the torte with the Grand Marnier syrup and whipped cream.