What is curd? like lemon curd

What does torte mean?

Why do my chocolate cakes come out less moist than others?


Thanks in advance!

Torte is when you cut the cake in layers to put filling/buttercream. The chocolate cake i have struggled with. I have found a scratch recipe at epicurious.com, or the WASC Chocolate version was excellent and very easy!!!! Can't help you with the curd, sorry!

Curd ... no idea, so I'll leave that one to the pro's on here.

Torte: When you slice a cake in half to make multi layers. You bake a cake in an 8" pan. Remove it from the pan and let it cool. Then slice it in half and add filling between the two layers, then ice it. Here's a picture of one of my cakes that is torted ... and it's an un-iced cake so you can really see the effect:
Cake: http://forum.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=93774
The cut piece of the cake (very pretty!): (Hey! What happened to the picture of my cut piece of cake that was on here practically since day one? Oh welll .... I'm attaching the pic in this thread and am re-adding it to my pics. What a shame that it will no longer be right next to the cake it came from, now. ).

Toba Garrett's chocolate fudge cake is super moist and dense. I have kept it in the frig and it does not dry out.

Indydebi--you are THE pro!

Try wrapping your cake in saran seal wrap (whatever it's called) and let it cool like that. It keeps the moisture in. I've had success with that.

Lisa

Not a pro but Curd...in regards to fruit curd... is basically beaten egg yolks, sugar, fruit juice and zest cooked together until thickened and then cooled. It differs from custards in that it contains a lot more juice and zest, which gives it a more intense, stronger flavor. Curds are used as fillings in cakes, pies (such as lemon meringue pie) or tortes and can also be used as a substitute for jams...I personally like it spread on a lace cookie right before I gobble it up!!

Hope this helps!

Lemon curd is a lemon filling that is made of lemon juice, egg yolks, butter, sugar and lemon zest. You basically cook it over a double boiler until it becomes thick. It has a real intense flavor. You can use it as a base for tarts or cookies.

Lemon curd is a lemon filling that is made of lemon juice, egg yolks, butter, sugar and lemon zest. You basically cook it over a double boiler until it becomes thick. It has a real intense flavor. You can use it as a base for tarts or cookies.

OK I understand the torte thing now. What I have been calling layers, you guys call tortes!

No, 'torte' is a verb when we say we torte our cakes, meaning we cut them into layers. A 'torte' (noun) is also a TYPE of European cake. American cakes are not tortes.

I think chocolate cakes sometimes are less moist because it is easy to overbake them. We can tell by how things are browning on top as to how close they are to being done, but chocolate is not visible like a white, yellow, lemon cake, etc.

I find you have to keep an eagle eye on chocolate and get it out of the oven immediately. Also, saran wrap was mentioned. I like to use aluminum foil over a cake as soon as it comes out if I think it needs to be extra moist. Leave it with the foil sealed over the pan until the pan is cool and all that steam stays in the cake.

Ditto sparkle. Torte is a verb meaning to slice in half horizontally. A 2"tall layer becomes two 1" tall layers after it's torted. And then those layers (+ filling) stack up to make a tier.

A type of European cake is called a torte, but that something different entirely.

And then a tort is something really different. (a legal term)

If your chocolate cake is made from scratch, and involves boiling water and adding cocoa, you're probably losing a couple of ounces due to evaporation.
Before combining the cooled liquid to the other ingredients, re-measure and add water to make up for any liquid lost.

Read about this on Rose Beranbaum's site.