The Wandering Eater

Rich-Almond Chocolate Cake

As promised from the previous post, here’s the recipe for my mom’s chocolate cake. It’s decadent, chocolate-y and nutty from the use of almond flour. Again, I had to make my own almond flour since the grocery stores I shop in don’t carry it. The other changes I’ve done was to add on the chocolate glaze that was left over from my brother’s cake and used Lindt’s Excellence 85% Cocoa Bar for the chocolate solids. What surprised me was the fact that it was easy to make.

Recipe and a lot of dumping

Rich-Almond Chocolate Cake

From La Maison du Chocolat: Transcendent Desserts by the Legendary Chocolatier

Serves 4-6
Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes

2 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup ground almonds
2 whole eggs plus 6 yolks
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
4 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease and flour an 8-inch round cake pan. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over low heat. Add the butter and stir then the mixture is thoroughly melted, add the ground almonds, pouring in a thin stream. Stir to blend. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Place the 2 whole eggs and 6 yolks in a mixing bowl with 3/4 cup of the sugar and the cocoa powder. Whisk until blended, then stir into the almond-chocolate mixture. Set aside.
Place the 4 egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the salt and beat until they hold stiff peaks. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and beat to combine. Gently fold the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake. Check after 25 minutes; the cake is finished when the tip of a knife inserted in the center come out clean. If not, continue baking until done.
Prepare a large plate with a clean dish towel on top. Remove the cake from the oven and unmold onto the towel-covered plate. Let cool before serving.

Tip: Dust the top of the cooled cake with unsweetened cocoa powder for a more sophisticated finish. (I drizzled on chocolate glaze, dust it with cocoa powder, then add some white chocolate shavings to amp up the chocolate factor.)

All pretty and await to be consumed…

Cross section of my slice

VeggieGirl

September 27th, 2008 at 6:49 pm

Such a luscious-looking cake!

My Sweet & Saucy

September 28th, 2008 at 12:15 pm

This looks perfect!

misstiffie

September 29th, 2008 at 2:38 am

yummmm!!! i so wanna try the recipe now :]

maggie

September 29th, 2008 at 9:32 am

This looks sooo tempting. Lovely photos.

thewanderingeater

September 29th, 2008 at 10:07 am

VeggieGirl: It’s definitely luscious.

My Sweet & Saucy: Thanks!

misstiffie: Try it! It’s soo easy!

Maggie: It’s delicious and thanks for the compliment!

Danny

September 29th, 2008 at 10:40 am

new layout looks good!

hnahk

October 1st, 2008 at 8:57 pm

hi,
i want to try this cake for my SO’s birthday but have a few questions:
1. you mentioned you needed to make your own almond flour but the recipe doesnt call for almond flour?
2. for 3/4 cup ground almonds…is this just finely chopped? (cuz i see small chunks in your pics)…when i see “ground” almonds…i’m thinking almost to the consistency of powder. can you clarify? is ground almonds something i can buy or do i have to buy almonds and ground it myself?
3. for step 1 of the recipe, you’re suppose to pour the ground almonds into the chocolate mixture in a thin stream…how does one actually do that?
4. can you explain the need for unmolding onto the dish towel? do you think i can bake it in a spring-form pan instead and not cool it in a dishtowel?

i’m obviously an amateur baker but these are pricey ingredients so i want to get it right! thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

October 2nd, 2008 at 10:29 am

Danny: Thanks!

hnahk: You should try! It’s really easy.

Here’s the answers to your questions:
1. Almond flour is pretty much the same to me for ground almonds. Technically, yes, the flour is finer than the grounded stuff but since I made this myself with a blender (you may use a food processor) and a not-so-humid evening with a lot of patience not to make this into almond butter, it’ll be slightly chunky.

2. Please refer to #1 and it’s after the grind…

3. Take a measuring cup full of ground almonds (in the correct amount, of course) and lightly shake the contents out that it should be like a stream. It’s not difficult.

4. You don’t have to do the dish towel. I used a cooling rack. In other words, I took the relatively hot cake (with pot holders on each side) with a cooling rack on top then invert it so the parchment-covered bottom is facing up. You could bake it in a springform pan but the time will vary but it’s best to take off that bottom so it won’t be soggy in that area.