Chocolate Orange Torte

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Prep Time: twenty minutes

Total Time: one hour, five minutes

Ingredients:

Place one cup of halved strawberries (retain the rest for garnish) in a ziptop bag. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar & shake to coat. Refrigerate while you make the torte.

Strawberry Sauce:
two cups fresh strawberries, cut in half, divided use
1/2 teaspoon confectioners' sugar
.
Torte:
3/4 pound margarine, unsalted or pareve
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
two Tablespoons orange liqueur
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 huge eggs, lightly beaten
1/8 cup miniature chocolate chips for garnish, optional

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.

Place margarine, sugar, orange juice, orange liqueur, & coffee in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir until combined & smooth. Remove from heat & stir in vanilla. Add chocolate & stir until melted & blended. Let cold.

When chocolate mixture is cold, whisk in the eggs until thoroughly combined. Pour in to prepared pan. Bake 35 to 45 minutes until top has a slight crust & middle is set.

Let chocolate torte cold to room temperature, then refrigerate for four hours or overnight.

When prepared to serve, place sugared strawberries in a blender or food processor & pulse to puree. Pour strawberry sauce over the cake, sprinkle with chocolate chips, & decorate with remaining strawberry halves.

Yield: 14 to 16 servings