Recipe: Dark-Chocolate Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup (1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup)
- 2 tablespoons brewed coffee
- 3/4 cup (3 ounces) finely ground almonds
- 6 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
- Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan.
- In a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate and stir to blend. Let cool.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy with a whisk or an electric mixer; add the salt and cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Add the 1/4 cup granulated sugar and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.
- In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks until thick and lemon-colored, then beat in the 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the coffee. Stir in the melted chocolate until blended. Fold in one-third of the whites to lighten the mixture, then fold in the nuts, flour, and then the remaining whites. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted 1 1/2 inches from the center comes out clean (the center should still be soft). Let the cake cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing the pan sides.
- Dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar shaken through a sieve.
Photo credit: Food Is My Life / flickr.com / CC BY
Be the first to comment