This Giant Almond “Kit-Kat” Torte Is Flour-Free, Passover-Friendly and Shockingly Easy to Slice

And on Saturday, we returned from our week at sea, our week of no work, of sunshine and someone else making dinner and lo, what a bummer. But we had a great time, from stunning views as we sailed out of New York Harbor on a freak 75 degree day in March:

the verrazano went by our patio

On an epically proportioned boat

ferry back to the boat

With the second-tiniest but most enthusiastic sailor (a baby two days younger had the audacity to steal Jacob’s Youngest Cruiser thunder)

delight

To short excursions, an abundance of pool parties and endless plates of fresh fruit.

old and chipped in nassauaquarium at the atlantisthis is the pool areasole food photo

And then we came home and I battled a torte recipe with knives and rulers and whisks and the arced steel blade of a food processor and prevailed. Because I am awesome, right? But I’m convinced that the recipe had it out for me. Well, the recipe and these still-wobbly sea legs, the feeling that the kitchen is sloshing along in choppy waters no longer charming on day two (and now three).

orange peel syrupwhipped egg whitesmeringue layers, before bakingmeringue layer-blobs, after baking

But mostly the recipe: I didn’t understand why it recipe demanded slivered almonds (which had been harder for me to find) if only to grind them in step one. Two vanilla beans seems excessive considering that the vanilla taste was still muted — I’d use extract next time and save the expense. A fussy orange peel syrup imparted virtually no orange vibe in the final frosting. Steps seemed out of order (preparing a syrup first that you wouldn’t need for hours) and measurements were absent where I needed them. Syrup is chilled just to be warmed again. A simple adjustment shaved 30 minutes off the prep time of the frosting. A sloshy orange “compote” seemed like something that would just dissolve a dry meringue, not complement it. Parchment rectangles were sprayed with oil (is this necessarily?) which caused the rectangles to spread into puddles which merged together and slid off my trays; only significant trimming salvaged them. And the baking time was easily double what was needed (good thing I watch the oven like a hawk).

stacked and filled macaroon torte

And yet! Despite all of those laments above, I’m spectacularly excited about serving this tonight because I’m pretty sure it’s going to taste like a giant Kit-Kat candy bar. How could it not? It’s gigantic rectangle comprised of stacked, thin, crunchy layers spread thickly and then coated completely with semisweet chocolate that hardened overnight into a candy-like shell. It’s homemade from fantastic ingredients, it’s flour-free (thus kosher for Passover and gluten-free), dairy-free (paerve), practically fat free, can be made a day or two in advance and doesn’t require refrigeration. Guys, this is like the Harvard of desserts. But mostly it’s a giant Kit-Kat, which means that even schlubs like me get a piece.

almond macaroon torte

Almond Macaroon Torte with Chocolate Frosting

Adapted heavily from Bon Appetit

I’ve made a tremendous amount of changes to this recipe — adjusted cooking times, added weights, added dozens of tips, rewrote just about everything, etc. — and this is a good thing as the one I started with was exasperating. And that’s putting it mildly. But the core of the recipe — what I ended up with after a lot of tweaks and what I believe it is meant to be — is delightful, both an elegant, showy torte and a candy bar that I cannot wait to get a taste of in T-minus 7… 6… 5 hours… Not that I’m tapping my feet or anything.

At-a-glance

Ingredients

Almond macaroons

Frosting and assembly

Make macaroons: Position an oven rack in the top and lower third of the oven and preheat to 325°F. On one sheet of parchment draw two 12 × 4-inch rectangles spaced about 2 inches apart; on a second sheet draw two more rectangles (four rectangles total). Turn each sheet over so the ink or pencil lines are on the underside, then spray the top of the parchment with nonstick spray [see the Note below regarding whether the spray is necessary].

Place the almonds, 1 cup of the sugar, and the coarse salt into a food processor (or skip the processor if you’re using almond meal of equivalent weight). Add the vanilla bean seeds if using (if you prefer extract, you’ll add it later) and blend until the nuts are finely ground.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites in a large, dry bowl with clean beaters (or whisk attachment) until soft peaks form. Drizzle in vanilla extract (if using), then slowly add the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar. Beat until the whites are stiff but not dry. Fold the nut mixture into the egg whites. Spread one-quarter of the batter evenly into each rectangle, filling the shapes completely.

Bake the macaroon layers until they are golden and almost firm in the center, reversing the sheets halfway through baking — in the author’s oven this took 23 minutes total; the original recipe suggests up to 40 minutes, so check at 23 minutes and then every 5 minutes as needed.

Cool the macaroons on their sheets on a rack.

Make frosting: Simmer 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Measure out 10 tablespoons from this syrup and discard or save the remainder for another use. Return the 10 tablespoons to the pan, add your chosen flavoring, bring back to a boil, then add the chocolate. Remove from heat, let sit for one minute, then stir until smooth. You should have a medium-thick frosting suitable for spreading; if it’s too thin, let it cool 5–10 minutes until it thickens.

Assemble torte: If your macaroon rectangles spread in the oven, carefully trim them back to their intended sizes — a sharp knife lightly coated with oil works well. Place one macaroon layer on a long platter (slip small pieces of parchment or waxed paper under the edges to keep the platter clean; remove them once you’ve finished frosting). Spread 1/2 cup of frosting evenly over the layer, top with another layer, and repeat. After the final layer (flat side up), spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides and press the toasted sliced almonds into the sides.

Do ahead: The torte can be made one to two days ahead; cover with a foil tent and store at room temperature.

Tiny kitchen/tiny tray tweak: The author had to reduce rectangle sizes to 11 × 3.75 inches to fit small baking sheets and flipped trays to avoid the oven walls, which unfortunately led to spreading. This isn’t recommended.

About that spray oil: The post author notes frustration with the recipe’s instruction to spray parchment — parchment alone usually releases macaroons and meringues without greasing, and the spray can encourage spreading. The author hopes to update whether the spray can be skipped; an update notes at least one commenter made these without oiling the parchment and had less spreading and no issues removing the macaroons.

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