The Best Passover Dessert of All Time

This parve Coconut Chocolate Torte will have your guests questioning whether it's actually Kosher for Passover (spoiler alert: it is).

Shalom from Israel. It’s been quite the week.

I like to keep it real on Passover. No substitutions. I don’t do matzah lasagne, matzah pizza, matzah nachos, matzah tiramisu, etc. There are enough real foods I can eat during Passover, so I see no reason to torture myself with inferior versions of the foods I love.

Years ago, I was looking for a parve dessert for the seder that would actually taste good - not “it’s good for a Passover cake,” but rather “I can’t believe this is a Passover cake.” As soon as I came across Marcy Goldman’s Mock Chestnut Torte, I knew I had what to work with. And there was a most intriguing ingredient that I didn’t see coming - sweet potato. Yes, sweet potato. There’s not enough sweet potato in the recipe that you taste it in the cake, but there’s just enough to give the torte a fudgy and almost cheesecake like texture. I’ve tweaked the recipe over the years and it has now evolved into a Chocolate Coconut Torte. The original recipe calls for margarine but I’m ideologically opposed to using it in recipes, so I use cooled coconut oil instead.

(In each step, I’ve bolded the ingredients you’ll need for that specific step. I saw this recently in a cookbook and I found it to be incredibly user friendly.)

I am sure it will enhance your Passover menus. Let me know if it works for you - even send pics! And if you have any questions about the recipe, feel free to send me an email.

Wishing you and yours a meaningful Passover. And may we see the release of the 133 hostages - and true freedom for all - in the immediate days ahead,

Harry

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Passover Chocolate Coconut Torte

For the Torte

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon refrigerated coconut oil

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoon granulated sugar

6 large eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups cooked, cooled and mashed sweet potatoes (absolutely no chunks!)

10 ounces dark chocolate, melted and cooled

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Chocolate Coconut Ganache 

1/2 cup coconut cream

6 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped 

or

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Toppings

½ cup shredded dried or toasted coconut

Strawberries (optional)

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with baking parchment.

Step 2

Using a bain-marie (fancy way of saying double boiler), melt the chocolate. Alternatively, you can zap the chocolate in the microwave for just 15 to 20 seconds at a time, stirring at each pause. Continue until the chocolate is smooth. Allow to completely cool. 

Step 3

In a mixing bowl, “cream” the coconut oil with the 1/3 cup sugar for about three minutes. Whisk in the egg yolks, then the mashed sweet potatoes and cooled chocolate.

Step 4

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites gently until they are a bit foamy (they should resemble soapy water). Then add in the salt and mix on a higher speed, slowly adding in the two tablespoons of sugar. Keep mixing until the egg whites form stiff and glossy peaks. Turn the bowl over your head, if the egg whites don’t spill all over you, you’re good to go. If the egg whites do spill all over you, go clean yourself up and start again. 

Gently fold one third of the egg whites into the sweet potato/chocolate mixture. Then, gently fold in the remaining egg whites, blending well but folding gently so as to not deflate the mixture. Carefully pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes. The cake is done when it looks dry and slightly cracked on top, with a slight rise. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes then continue cooling on a wire rack. 

For the Chocolate Coconut Ganache

5 ounces (about 1 cup) coarsely chopped 65-75% bittersweet chocolate 

¾ cup full-fat unsweetened canned coconut milk  

1 tsp vanilla extract

A pinch of fine sea salt

Step 5

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.

Combine the coconut milk, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and set over a medium flame. Heat, swirling occasionally, until the coconut milk is hot and steamy, just below a simmer, 2-3 minutes.

Pour the hot coconut milk mixture over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for one minute then whisk gently until the ganache is shiny and silky-smooth. Let cool. 

Step 6

Carefully remove the torte from the springform pan and turn the cake over so the smooth, flat bottom is facing up. Let cool.

Step 7

Using an offset spatula, evenly spread the ganache on the top of the completely cooled torte. If your ganache is too thick, throw it in the microwave for ten seconds to loosen it up. 

Step 8

Sprinkle dried or toasted coconut on top of the torte and decorate with sliced strawberries just before serving. 

Serve at room temperature.