Hemp Seed & Honey Tort: An easy, “healthy-ish” Fall dessert

I was recently going through my freezer and noticed I had a ton of hemp “hearts” or hulled hemp seed. And since it is starting to feel a little like Fall and I always think of this tort in the Fall, I decided to dust off my kitchen aid and tart pans and to whip up a new version of this versatile and easy nut tort.

Every good Chef and Home Cook has a handful of recipes up their sleeve that they can easily adapt to every occasion, using ingredients on hand. This is one of those recipes for me. I first encountered a version of this meringue-based tort many years ago in the Williams and Sonoma “Savoring Italy” book. These are among the most dog-eared recipe books in my library and I highly recommend them. The original recipe was for a Hazelnut tort. Super simple and delicious. As I often do with dessert recipes, I reduced the amount of sugar and immediately began thinking of variations. I have made countless variations of the master recipe. Some version of this tort was always on the menu at the restaurant. Almond Tort sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with fresh berries, pistachio tort covered with chocolate ganache, walnut tort, and so on.

This cake uses only a handful of ingredients. Whipped egg whites provide the structure. There is very little flour and no leavening agent. The flour can be substituted for oat flour or another gluten-free flour if you like.

Nut Tort Master Recipe

1 cup sugar

8 egg whites

2 cups nut meal

1 teaspoon extract (vanilla, lemon, almond, etc)

1/3 cup flour (or oat flour for Gluten Free version)

pinch of salt

About this Version : Hemp Seed and Honey Tort

This variation on the classic nut tort is a humble home cake meant to be enjoyed with coffee or tea or an afternoon snack.

Hemp Seeds are a nutritional powerhouse. One of those ingredients that didn’t seem to exist when I was a kid and now suddenly they’re everywhere. No….they won’t get you high. Not even a little relaxed. They are, however, high in Omega 3 and Omega 6, fiber, Vitamins E & B, zinc, iron, and a bunch of minerals. They are also a complete protein.

Hemp “Hearts” are a fancy name for hulled hemp seed. These little seeds are easy to work into dishes. Sprinkle them in oatmeal, add them to cookie and pancake mixes, blend them up in your smoothies.

For the tort, I pulsed some of them in the food processor and left some whole for texture.

Hemp Seed & Honey Tort

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• Author: Kara Taylor- Home Cooks Guide
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 10 servings 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Italian
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Ingredients

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3/4 cup minced walnut

1 1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds, pulsed in food processor

8 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon salt (pinch)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup flour (or sub oat flour for gluten free)

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F (not convection).  Oil a 10 inch tart pan, sprinkle it with flour and then discard the excess flour.  NOTE: you could also use an 8inch cake pan with a well-oiled parchment bottom or a spring form pan but if the cake cooking pan is narrower than 10 inches you will need to add 10-15 minutes in cooking time.

In a large mixing bowl combine the hemp seed, walnut meal, about 1/3 of all the sugar, and the flour.

In a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat the egg whites, slowly adding the remaining sugar and then the honey, until stiff peaks form.  Stir in the vanilla extract.

Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.

Using a spatula, transfer about 1/3 of the egg white mixture to the nut meal and stir well to combine and “lighten” the mixture.

Gently fold in the remaining egg white mixture.  Do not over mix this.

Pour the mixture into your prepared tart pan or similar cooking vessel, smooth over the top, and bake for 25 minutes turning once halfway through.

Now Bake at 350 F.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.  Once cooled, remove it from the pan.

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