Stollen and Torte

My turn to host the monthly Library staff social event. I want to do something special. I think back to what treat I had in the past found to be extraordinary. When I was in 7th grade, I followed a recipe for an amazing torte. It took me days to bake. First, I made 12 layers of cookie like, thin round cakes. They had the consistency of a chocolate chip cookie without the chips.

I cooled them in the fridge overnight, then whipped up this batch of chocolate mousse and spread a thin layer between the cakes, stacking them up and up. Every once in awhile, there was raspberry jam between the layers instead of mousse. Over the top of this amazing confection was poured a chocolate ganache which hardened to a shell. Sift confectioner's sugar and let the whole thing set until the mousse sinks in to the cake part and the cake part softens up from the rich creamy mousse.

I recall that a thin slice took forever to eat and filled you so full you could hardly move. I can still taste the rich chocolate delight. I look for this recipe, but I cannot find it. All the recipes for torte have regular cake for the layers. Sigh. I guess I will settle for the current idea, but I will keep looking for the recipe of my youth. It must have been in some Betty Crocker cookbook, but even her site did not offer the heart attack causing recipe I seek.

Then, because we have people who don't do chocolate, I decide to also make some Christmas stollen. I used to bake all the bread my family consumed and eventually was able to turn a decent loaf of bread. I haven't made bread in some years now, but I suspect I haven't totally forgotten how to do it. Besides, stollen was always a favorite of mine, though my boys generally weren't enthusiastic.

Time is an issue these days. I have neither the space in my kitchen nor the freedom in my schedule to spread this baking over the course of several days. It is my gift though to actually bake these treats myself rather than to just get them from a bakery. They would be better from a bakery, but less interesting. I measure, melt, sift, stir, knead, warm, coddle, coax and cook in the morning when the boys are not about to interfere.

Generally things go well, and though less than perfect, the concoctions will do. I skewer the layers on the torte so they won't slide apart since I don't have time to let them set overnight. But it will eat just as well. My colleagues seem to like them and the slices disappear with enthusiasm. One person says how fortunate they are that I am German! Except of course, I am not. With family names like Morton and Appleby, I am as English as it gets. My married heritage is actually Swiss, though Gillie sounds pretty German.

Ethnicity aside, I happily slurp with the rest of them and worry about paying for the indulgence later. After all, it is Christmas.