Almond Torte

This is a great dessert and I have pretty much convinced myself that is is really more of a vitamin than a dessert.  It has very little white flour, instead uses ground almonds.  It is made with 6 eggs,  4 ounces of dark chocolate, a little cream, only a cup of sugar, and a little raspberry jam for fun.  I think it is more like a PowerBar.  OK, that is just rationalization, but I love this recipe none the less.  It's out of one of the more random cookbooks that I own:  The Sopranos Family Cookbook.  Yep, everybody's favorite mob family. Tony and Carmella have chapter and so do Artie Bucco and Paulie Gualtieri.  If you've never watched the show before, the characters like to eat.  A LOT.  They aren't small people, so go figure, they made a cookbook.

Anyway, some notes on this recipe.  The leavening agent for the cake is the egg whites.  It is a little difficult to incorporate the whites into the almond mixture all at once without deflating the whites.  I would recommend just adding a scoop or two of the egg whites to the almond mixture and combining.  Don't worry about being gentle with it,  all you want to do is lighten up the almond mix.  Then, once it is combined, add the remaining egg whites and fold in.  Here is a good link on how to fold egg whites into a thinker base, although, it is at the 17 minute point in the video, so unless you want to learn how to make a full souffle, fast forward to 17:00.  But all that being said.  Folding will help you keep the cake light.

Also, I'm sure you could use any sort of jam for the filling.  I'm sure strawberry would be good, or even apricot.  Just make sure, whatever you buy, that it is seedless.  I haven't done this yet, but I bet a little bit of Chambord would be delicious in the frosting.  Now I'm just brainstorming.  Have fun with it!

Almond Torte
Serves 8
Printable recipe

2 c blanched almonds
1 c sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 c seedless raspberry jam
4 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1/2 c heavy cream
Sliced or slivered almonds for decoration

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Butter 2 9-inch layer cake pans.  Line the pans with circles of parchment paper.  Butter the paper and sprinkle the pans with flour.  Tap out excess.

In a food processor or blender, combine the almonds and 1/4 c of the sugar.  Grind the nuts very fine.  Blend in the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks until thick and light.  Beat in the remaining 3/4 c sugar and the extracts.  Stir in the almond mixture.

In a clean bowl with clean beaters, whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.  Add one big scoop of egg whites to the almond/egg yolk mixture.  Stir in to lighten up the mixture (no need to be gentle here, just mix it in).  Then gently fold the remaining whites into the almond mixture with a rubber spatula.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the cake springs back when touched int he center.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Unmold the cakes and carefully peel off the paper.  Turn the cakes right side up and let cool completely.

Place 4 strips of wax or parchment paper around the edge of a cake plate.  Place one cake layer upside down on the plate.  Spread the jam evenly over the top.

 Place the second cake layer right side up on the first layer.

 

Break up the chocolate in to small pieces.  In a small heatproof bowl set over, not in, a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate with the heavy cream.

Stir until smooth.  Let the glaze cool slightly.

Pour the glaze onto the top of the cake.  Smooth the top with a metal spatula, allowing some of the chocolate to run down the sides of the cake.

 Then smooth the chocolate over the sides.  Decorate with slivered/sliced almonds (I like to put them around the sides of the cake--it covers up the rough edges I tend to create).  Let set briefly, then remove the paper strips.  Chill briefly to set the chocolate.

Double Chocolate Biscotti

Hello everyone! I must first apologize for being so absent the past month or so.  Life got a little ahead of me...and all of a sudden its the 2nd of November and I don't know where most of October went!  But I went on a cooking spree yesterday, and have plenty of raw material for posts and I'll be back with more tasties more frequently--that's my goal!

I rummaged around through all of my cookbooks for some good treats, and found some good ones in the old plaid stand-by.  That is the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  The very first cookbook I ever owned.  I've been caught up recently in the celebrity chefs, restaurants, fanciness of the Food Network recently, that I've forgotten my "roots" as it were.  This is the very first cookbook I can remember seeing. My mom still has it in her pantry with her cookbooks, too!

So I randomly flipped to the Cookie tab (OK, maybe not randomly.  I really wanted to make some cookies).  This recipe sounded fantastic to me and I figured it would travel well, since (most of) the cookies will be headed to Afghanistan for my brother's enjoyment.

These turned out really well, nice and crispy, and chocolate-y.  I've never been successful with biscotti before, but I think it was because I had a bad recipe.  I didn't realize that these actually get baked twice: once as a loaf and once as slices to crisp up.  They are great with a cup of coffee, and standup well to being dunked.  I hope you all enjoy them with a nice hot cup o' Joe!


Double Chocolate Chunk Biscotti
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
printable version

Ingredients
1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 ounces white chocolate chips
3 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Grease a large cookie sheet or line with parchment paper; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder; beat until combined. Beat in eggs. Beat in as much flour as you can. Slowly.  You don't want a huge cloud of flour in your kitchen. Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in the chocolate chips.

2. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a (not entirely appetizing-looking) 9-inch-long roll. Place rolls 4 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet; flatten rolls slightly to 2 inches wide.

3. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean. Cool on cookie sheet on a wire rack for 1 hour. Using a serrated knife, cut each roll diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Lay slice, one cut side down, on an ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake slices in a 325 degree F oven for 8 minutes. Turn slices over and bake 7 to 9 minutes more or until slices are dry and crisp. (Do not overbake.) Transfer to a wire rack; cool.