This 4-layer, fun-sized insanity was Sarah’s selection for this week’s Project Pastry Queen Challenge: Toffee Bar Brownie Torte.
Chocolate. Espresso. Mascarpone. Heavy whipping cream. I feel like I’m forgetting something.
Oh yeah. Almost an entire package of fun-sized Heath Bars.
As published, the recipe yields the Texas-sized dessert we’ve come to expect from The Pastry Queen: 3 layers of brownie, baked in 9 inch pans, layered with an espresso-mascarpone filling, and covered with an espresso-spiked whipped cream frosting. And that is covered with crushed toffee bar bits.
I mostly stuck to the recipe and made a half batch, baking it in four 6-inch pans. A fun-sized (yet still somehow gigantic) cake! I didn’t use espresso powder in the filling or frosting – I reduced 1/4 cup fresh espresso to about 1 Tablespoon and used that for the filling and frosting instead. I catch enough grief for not using the Please-Please-Please! I just gotta have one! espresso machine enough as it is 🙂
I wish I could show you the pretty layers inside. I was so certain that the cake wouldn’t cut well (I thought the filling was too soft for crisp layers on the inside and the toffee bits would wreak havoc on the soft whipped cream frosting on the outside) that we packed up the camera and tripod before reaching for the knife. It actually cut cleanly with three perfectly crisp white stripes of filling between the 4 layers of brownie. I made the components in steps over the entire day and refrigerated the frosting and filling before assembling that night.
You can get the full recipe over at 20 Something Cupcakes. Next week is a Wildcard Week so I’ll have a chance to make a recipe that I missed the first time. Decisions, decisions, decisions!
Wow that looks amazing!! Chocolate/coffee lovers dream!
What a gorgeous torte! So pretty.
Cheers,
Rosa
I love love love how yours turned out. Gorgeous! Mine, not so much. Had some issues with the filling falling out. But still tastes so delicious!
Texas-sized dessert is right! This is beyond amazing!
I made this for Super
bowl Sunday – it was fantastic!!!
Oh my, this looks so beautiful. What a fun dessert for a dinner party. I love Heath Bars so I will have to bookmark this one! Thanks!
Ooh, so tall and elegant! I was shocked at how easy it cut too. Who knew brownie and whipped cream would work so well. 🙂
Awe it’s so cute! Did you see Annie’s toffee bar brownie torte? (at annies-eats.net) She made the full size and showed what it looks like on the inside! I wanna make this version since it’s smaller though 😀
Wow … wow… wow. This is killing me. I want some!
Wow this cake looks awesome! Haven’t had toffee bar in so long. Yum!
This dessert looks incredible and so does your new layout. Cheers!
Like your new look!
That looks and sounds like beautiful awesomeness…..one of these days I’ll get the gall to bake and make a torte…or cake.
Looks great! I’m sad I missed this one because I was out of town…did it taste as good as it looks?
I thought Eric was going to pass out when I showed him this. I’m sure we’ll be maki this soon! 🙂
My favorite cake is a combination of espresso chocolate cake with a whipped cream, espresso, and mascarpone frosting and it’s fabulous so thinking of adding my most favorite candy of all time, Heath Bars, leaves me speechless; or at least at a loss for a lot of words! Looks great.
Oh it looks delicious!