Chocolate Amaretti Cake
This is an easy, decadent chocolate cake featuring the unique flavors of bittersweet chocolate, almonds, and crushed amaretti cookies. Prepared quickly in a food processor, it results in a moist, dense crumb, finished simply with a dusting of cocoa.
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 9-inch Springform Pan
- 1 Microwave for melting chocolate
- 1 Medium Mixing Bowl for ground nut mixture
- 1 Cake Tester or Skewer for checking doneness
Ingredients
Main
- Butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray
- 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 1 cup baby amaretti cookies about 2 ounces
- 1 stick 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
- 4 large eggs
- Unsweetened cocoa powder for sifting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a 9-inch springform pan the nonstick spray. Refrigerate. Microwave the chocolate until melted and smooth, stirring every 20 seconds, for about 1 minute.
- Combine the almonds and cookies in processor. Pulse until the almonds and cookies are finely ground. Transfer the nut mixture to a medium bowl. Add the butter and sugar to the processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Add the grated orange peel and pulse briefly, until incorporated. Add the eggs 1 at a time. Blend until the eggs are incorporated. Clean the sides of the mixing bowl and blend again. Add the nut mixture and melted chocolate. Pulse until blended. Clean the sides of the bowl. Blend again.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the center puffs and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the cake to a platter. Sift the cocoa powder over and serve.
Notes
Ensure amaretti cookies and almonds are very finely ground in the processor to avoid a gritty texture. Creaming the butter and sugar thoroughly provides lift and tenderness. Add eggs one at a time, blending fully after each addition to emulsify the batter. When incorporating the ground nuts and melted chocolate, pulse just until combined; overmixing can develop gluten and toughen the cake. The cake will be dense, so don't expect a significant rise. Cooling in the pan allows the structure to set before transferring.