Serves 8 – 11
Ingredients
- 150g (5oz) good dark chocolate (at least 50% cocoa solids; 70% makes this even richer and more wonderful)
- 50g (2oz) Amaretti biscuits
- 100g (4oz) flaked slivered almonds
- 175g (7oz) caster sugar
- Finely grated zest of one orange
- 100g (4oz) butter, cut into cubes
- 4 eggs, beaten
- cocoa powder or icing sugar for dusting
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F), Gas mark 4. Line the base of a 20cm (8in) diameter spring-form tin with greaseproof paper and butter the sides (I usually just wipe a butter wrapper around the tin.)
2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl sitting over a saucepan of simmering water (also known as a bain marie).
3. Place the Amaretti biscuits, flaked almonds, sugar and orange zest in a food processor and whiz until the biscuits and almonds are almost finely ground (I like to leave them a bit gritty). Add the butter and the eggs and whiz until blended, then add the melted chocolate and briefly whiz again until blended.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and pop straight into the oven. Cook for 35 minutes until the cake is puffed up and slightly puffed around the edges.
5. Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 15 minutes before carefully transferring to a plate. The top is quite crisp and cracks easily so I always dust it with lots of icing sugar or cocoa powder before serving to hide any imperfections!
Rachel’s handy tip:
If you don’t have a food processor, you will need to use ground almonds instead of flaked and place the Amaretti biscuits in a plastic bag and grind up with a rolling pin. Beat in a large bowl in the same order as you do with a food processor.
From ‘Rachel’s Food For Living’; Publishers – Collins
