Chocolate and Almond Cake
Pastel de Chocolate y AlmendraChocolate desserts are not very common in Mexico, but many fine restaurants offer chocolate cakes. San Angel Inn restaurant in Mexico City makes a cake similar to this recipe. This cake doesn't require Mexican chocolate, which comes prepared with cinnamon and sugar already added. You can serve this cake plain as a snack cake, or make it more festive by including a dollop of whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate-cinnamon sauce, and a few berries for garnish.
Ingrediënten
Makes 1 (8-inch) round cake; 8 to 10 servings
- 6 ounces sliced almonds about 12⁄3 cups, toasted
- 4½ ounces semisweet chocolate chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Mexican canela or Ceylon variety preferred
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs separated
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- Chocolate-Cinnamon Dessert Sauce optional
- Sweetened Whipped Cream optional
- Fresh berries optional
Instructies
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Grease the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan.
- Line the pan with a circle of parchment or wax paper.
- Grease the paper and sides of the pan.
- Put the almonds in a large nonstick skillet and toast, stirring frequently, until aromatic and barely colored, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer to a plate and let cool.
- Put the cooled nuts, chocolate, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor and finely grind.
- Reserve.
- In a medium bowl, blend the egg yolks, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of the sugar with an electric beater or mixer until pale and thickened, about 3 minutes.
- With a wooden spoon, mix in the reserved nut mixture.
- In a clean large bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites to soft peaks.
- Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and beat until stiff.
- Mix about ⅓ of the beaten whites into the reserved nut mixture to lighten, and then gently fold in the remaining whites.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and bake 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- If using the sauce, make it while the cake is baking.
- When the cake is done, let it cool in the pan on a rack for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the whipped cream if using.
- Turn out the cake and remove the paper.
- Invert onto a plate.
- You can decorate the cake while whole with the cream, sauce, and berries, or cut the cake into wedges and top each piece just before serving.
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