This is one of those very rich, fudgy chocolate torte kind of cakes. The kind where you can really only manage one small slice although you would dearly like to eat another!
It’s a Rachel Allen recipe from her “Food for living” book. I have waxed lyrical about her recipes before and this is another one that I would highly recommend. It appears in several places on the internet, one of which is here. I have adapted it slightly to use ground almonds instead of flaked almonds because that’s what I had in the house.
I have made several cakes of this kind before, using various recipes, but this is my favourite so far. A lot of them are way too rich for me, the intensity of the chocolate being more than I can take. For me, this one is just right, dense and squidgy without being too rich and sickly.
Amaretti biscuits can sometimes be hard to find in the shops, both in France and the UK, if you’re looking for them at the wrong time of year. I have bought them before in both Aldi and the Co-op at a sensible price and with the amaretti season (Christmas) coming up, it should soon be easy to get some more. I shall stock up as they usually keep for ages and it’s really annoying when I see a recipe that uses amaretti biscuits that I would like to try, I have none in the cupboard and can’t buy them anywhere because it’s the middle of May!
This cake would be great for a dinner party or buffet table dessert. It’s incredibly easy to make, is perfectly delicious and can be made the day before needed. In fact this one kept really well for several days in an airtight tin. It needs no embellishment other than a dusting of icing sugar and some berries on the side if you like.
Ingredients
150g 70% dark chocolate, melted
50g amaretti biscuits
100g ground almonds
175g caster sugar
grated zest of 1 orange
100g butter, cubed
4 eggs
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160° fan / gas mk 4. Butter and base line a 20cm round springform cake tin.
Put the amaretti biscuits in a food processor with the sugar and orange zest. Process until finely ground and slightly gritty.
Add the ground almonds and process briefly to combine. Blend in the butter and eggs, then the chocolate, until smooth and well combined.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35 - 45 minutes, or until the cake is puffed up and slightly cracked around the edges.
Cool in the tin for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack or plate to cool completely.
The top will have cracks which can be disguised with a nice dusting of icing sugar or cocoa powder!
Serves 8-10.
I do really enjoy this kind of cake, although this recipe is a new one on me. I don't mind cracks on the top of a cake like this - it tells me what to expect. I can get amaretti pretty easily at any time around here but they do seem to be a fair bit cheaper at Christmas time.
ReplyDeletePhil, living in the south of the country I expect you can get most things at any time of year. In our part of rural France you can't be sure of getting anything! Although it was Aldi in Loches where I picked up my last supply.
DeleteThings are little better in Derbyshire, amaretti being far too exotic for everyday use, unless I can get to a Waitrose!
This sounds just my kind of cake. I have some Amaretti so will definitely be making it.
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