CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND CAKE gluten free

I recently needed a gluten free dessert recipe and none of the ones I had used before seemed to be just right.  So I did a bit of internet research and stumbled across this recipe for a flourless chocolate cake.  It had all the usual ingredients you would expect but also mascarpone cheese and as it happened I had a tub of it in the fridge.  (A random purchase from when I thought "let's have tiramisu this weekend" but never got around to it.)

It was very easy to make but not so easy to get out of the tin!  The instructions suggest it can be served warm or cold and to leave in the tin to cool for 30-40 minutes.  I misinterpreted this and tried to remove it from the tin at this point when the cake was still slightly warm.  It nearly disintegrated but luckily I managed to stick it back together on the cake stand with just an ever so slightly wonky appearance!

 Lesson learned!  If I wanted to serve it warm as a dessert I would bake it in something that it can be served in at the table and slice it straight from the dish.  To get it onto a cake stand I would let it go completely cold before I tried to move it, which is clearly what I was supposed to do!!

It was however, delicious, very brownie-like and extremely rich, which is what you would expect with all that chocolate, butter and cream cheese in it!  I served it in small slices with a poached pear alongside (see recipe here).  It went down very well with our guests and I would definitely make it again. 

Other similar cakes I have written about before include the chocolate amaretti cake, the flourless chocolate torte,  chocolate and chestnut fondant and the gluten free black forest cake .  Take your pick, they are all worth the effort (but not all of them are gluten free, check the recipe).

Update…….

I also noticed that Nigella Lawson made a very similar cake which contains amaretto during the recent repeat of her series "At my Table".  Yum!! The recipe is available online on the BBC Food website.  I shall try it myself and report back!  

Ingredients

200g dark cooking chocolate (It doesn't need to have a high percentage of cocoa.  I used SuperU own brand cooking chocolate.  Cadbury's Bournville would work well.)

200g butter

3 eggs

175g golden caster sugar

100g mascarpone cheese (or soft cheese)

¼ tsp vanilla extract

100g ground almonds

30g cocoa powder

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160° fan / gas mk 4.  Line the base of a 20cm springform tin with baking paper.

Chop the chocolate and butter into cubes and melt using a bowl over a pan of simmering water.  Leave to cool slightly.

Put the eggs and sugar into a large bowl and, using an electric hand whisk or stand mixer, whisk for several minutes until thick and creamy.  Whisk in the mascarpone and vanilla until evenly combined.

Fold in the melted chocolate mixture until everything is an even colour.  Fold in the ground almonds then sift in the cocoa powder and a pinch of salt and fold in.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin.  Place it on a baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes.  The top will crack and the cake will puff up, but bake until there is not too much of a wobble in the middle.  (Mine took an extra five minutes.)  It will sink back down but the cracks will remain.

Remove from the oven an allow to cool.  Serve warm as a pudding or cold as a cake (see my notes in text).

You can, if you wish, dust it with more sifted cocoa powder before serving which would hide the cracks a bit.  I found it chocolatey enough without this and nobody seemed to mind the cracks!

Cuts into 10 slices at least as it is very rich.