Bittersweet Chocolate Almond Torte 

for the torte

1/3C water

1/2C sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, cubed

12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, cut in pieces

1 tsp. instant espresso powder

¼ tsp. salt

1/3C almond liqueur or cold brewed coffee

2 tsp. almond extract

6 eggs

 

for the ganache

1/2C cream

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, cut in pieces

1/2C sliced almond, toasted

1/2C cream, beaten with sugar and vanilla to taste

Preheat oven to 325F.  Butter a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan, line with parchment and butter again.  Bring water and sugar to a boil; remove from heat.  Add the butter, 12 oz. chocolate, espresso powder and slat and let sit a few minutes.  Stir until smooth.  Add the liqueur and almond extract.

Whisk eggs until thick.  Add the chocolate mixture and fold in gently.  Pour batter into prepared cake pan and place cake pan inside a roasting pan.  Add warm water to roasting pan halfway up the outside of the cake pan.  Bake until puffed and soft to the touch, 40 – 45 minutes.  Remove roasting pan from oven, then remove cake pan to a cooling rack.  Let cool one hour.

Run a knife around inside of the cake pan; invert onto a platter.  Peel off the parchment; cool completely.

Before serving, heat the cream for the ganache, add the chocolate and let sit a few minutes.  Stir until smooth.  Let cool slightly.  Spread over the top and down the sides of the torte.  Sprinkle top with toasted almonds.  Serve with whipped cream.

MAKES:  8 – 12 servings

 

Chocolate Dried Cranberry Cake

one stick unsalted butter

1C dried cranberries or cherries

1/4C bourbon or water

7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/4C pecans, toasted

2 Tbsp. flour

3 large eggs, separated

1/2C packed light brown sugar (for yolks)

2 Tbsp. sugar (for whites)

sifted powdered sugar

1/2C cream beaten with sugar and vanilla to taste

Place oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350F.  Line a 10-inch round pan with a removable bottom with parchment and butter the parchment.  Pulse pecans and flour together in a food processor until finely ground.

Simmer cranberries in the bourbon in a small pan over low heat until cranberries are tender and bourbon is absorbed – about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl set over simmering water until smooth.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Beat yolks and brown sugar until thick.  Add the chocolate mixture and fold in.  Beat whites until soft peaks, add sugar and beat until fairly stiff.  Fold one third of whites into chocolate mixture along with the dried cranberries and pecan mixture just to lighten; fold in remainder gently.  Turn batter into prepared pan and bake about 25 minutes or until firm.  Let cool slightly.  Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan.  Remove the ring and transfer cake (off the parchment paper) to a platter.  Dust with sifted powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream.

MAKES:  8 – 10 servings

Double-Baked Chocolate Cake

½ lb. bittersweet chocolate, cut up

2 sticks unsalted butter

3/4C unsweetened cocoa powder

7 large eggs, separated

1-1/3C sugar (2/3C, 2/3C)

1/2C cream beaten with sugar and vanilla to taste

Preheat oven to 350F.  Butter a 9-inch spring form pan and line with parchment.  Butter the paper.  Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl set over simmering water.  Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder until smooth.

Beat the yolks with 2/3 cup of the sugar until pale and light.  Beat the whites until soft peaks form, add 2/3 cup of sugar and beat until firm and glossy.

Fold the chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture until barely combined.  Fold in the whites just until no white streaks remain.  Spoon 2 cups of the batter into a medium bowl and refrigerate.  Scrape the remaining batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula.  Bake 45 minutes or until firm.   Cool completely on a wire rack.  Remove the side from the spring form pan and spread the reserved cake batter over the top of the cake, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge.  Refrigerate the cake for at least one hour.  (Note:  you can also bake all the batter at one time if you like.)

Preheat oven to 425F.  Bake the cake for 10 minutes, or until a thin crust forms on top and the batter is soft and creamy beneath the crust.  Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve with vanilla cream.

MAKES:  8 – 10 servings

Aztec Chocolate Cake

1 lb. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

2 sticks unsalted butter

6 large eggs

2 Tbsp. espresso powder

1C pecan halves, toasted

1C crème fraiche, lightly beaten with sugar and vanilla to taste

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment.

Combine the chocolate and butter in a bowl and place over simmering water until melted.  Stir gently and remove from the heat.

Place eggs in a mixing bowl and beat until triple in volume and light in color.  Add half the beaten eggs and the espresso powder to the chocolate mixture and fold in.  then add the remaining eggs and gently fold in until just a few streaks remain – do not overmix.

Pour into the cake pan and place in a roasting pan.  Fill the roasting pan with boiling water to come halfway up the cake pan, transfer to the oven and bake for 5 minutes.  Cover the cake pan with foil and bake – still in its water bath – an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from the water bath and set aside to cool on rack 45 minutes, then refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.  Run a knife around the sides of the pan and unmold.  Serve with whipped crème fraiche and sprinkle with toasted pecans.

MAKES:  8 – 10 servings

Bittersweet chocolate cake

12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, cut in pieces

3 sticks unsalted butter, cut in pieces

1/3C water

1C sugar

6 whites

6 yolks

sifted powdered sugar

1/2C cream beaten with sugar and vanilla to taste

Preheat oven to 300F.  Line a 10-inch spring form pan with parchment and butter.  Melt chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water, remove from water and let cool slightly.  Beat whites until soft peaks, add sugar and beat until almost stiff.  Add water to chocolate mixture.  Add the yolks one by one, stirring gently after each addition.  Fold in 1/3 of the whites to lightly the mixture.  Gently fold in the reminder.

Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and bake 50 – 60 minutes or until a thick crust forms on the top and the center does not shake when the pan is moved gently.  Cool cake briefly on a rack.  Run a knife around the inside of the pan and release the ring but leave it around the cake.  When ready to serve, sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar and cut in wedges and serve with whipped cream.

MAKES:  12 servings

Chocolate Almond Torte

½ lb. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

½ lb. toasted, sliced almonds (about 1-1/2C)

1 heaping cup sugar

6 large eggs, room temperature and separated

½ tsp. vanilla

1/2C cream beaten with sugar and vanilla to taste

Preheat oven to 325F.  Line a 9-inch spring form pan with parchment and butter.

Place the chocolate, almonds and sugar in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until coarsely chopped; transfer to a bowl.

Beat yolks and sugar until light yellow and very thick.  Beat whites until fairly stiff.  Fold half of chocolate mixture into yolk mixture, add half the whites and then the remaining chocolate mixture and gently fold in the remaining whites.

Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and bake one hour.  Cool slightly, remove sides of pan and dust with sifted powdered sugar.  Serve with whipped cream.

MAKES:  8 to 10 servings

Chocolate Almond Cake

½ lb. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, cut into pieces

8 large eggs, separated

1-1/4C sugar

3/4C toasted almonds

1 Tbsp. amaretto or water

sifted powdered sugar

1/2C cream beaten with sugar and vanilla to taste

Preheat oven to 325F.  Butter a 10-inch spring form pan and line with parchment paper.  Butter the paper.  Grind the almonds with two tablespoons of the sugar and set aside.  Melt the chocolate and butter in a pan set over simmering water until melted.  Let cool slightly.  Beat yolks and ¾ cup sugar until thick.  Add the chocolate mixture and liqueur to the yolk mixture.

Beat the whites until soft peaks form.  Add remaining sugar and beat until almost stiff peaks.  Fold nut mixture and whites, alternately, into the chocolate mixture.  Turn the batter into the prepared pan and bake until firm around the edges – about 55 minutes. Let cool.  Run a knife around the edges of the cake pan to let the cake fall evenly.  Remove the sides of the pan and let cool.

Transfer cake to a serving platter off the parchment, dust with sifted powdered sugar, slice and serve with whipped cream.

MAKES:  8 – 10 servings