Dark Chocolate & Coffee Liqueur Almond Cake
An Italian, festive alternative to my classic chocolate cake (recipe), this is a marginally “headier” version with its intense kick, courtesy of coffee liqueur and best-quality dark chocolate. I love squeegee cakes with a slightly moist consistency and replacing the flour in this cake with roasted ground almonds, provides just that. What’s even more, is that you also get the added luxury and depth of flavor from the toasted almonds, and their almost sweet, nuttiness that makes this cake irresistibly rich and decadent.
Dust generously with good quality, sustainably sourced cacao, a dollop of coffee cream, and a crumble of Amaretti biscuits. With its “sunken” nature, charming cracks, and fine, flaky edges, this is the perfect end to a sophisticated dinner with friends or a compliment to the festive table.
Notes on ingredients, substitutes, and make-ahead:
The use of almond flour in place of regular flour is nothing revolutionary. What makes this cake different is that I roast my own almonds before grounding them. This way you get that deep, earthy, roasted, nuttiness that you simply cannot get from pre-grounded almond flour. It is also the grounded almonds that add fat and richness to the cake that will make it last longer and stay moist when made ahead of time. That said, this cake can be made ahead of time and will keep for up to three days in the fridge, however, I’d advise you to whip up the cream right before serving – it really takes no time at all.
When it comes to the liquor, you can use whatever liqueur you have on hand, or deem fit. I think orange liqueur will be sublime with the dark chocolate notes of this cake. You can also use the same selected liqueur when whipping up the cream!
Dark Chocolate & Coffee Liqueur Almond Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 75 g raw almonds
- 100 g butter soft
- 100 g best-quality dark chocolate at least 70%
- 125 g castor sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 2 tbsp cocoa plus some for dusting
- 3 tbsp coffee liqueur or liqueur of choice
For the coffee cream
- 250 ml whipping cream
- 1 tbsp coffee liqueur or liqueur of choice
- 4 Amaretti biscuits crumbled
Instructions
To make the cake
- Preheat the oven to 160°C, fan forced, or 180°C conventional. Line and grease a 20cm springform pan with parchment paper.
- In a heatproof dish, melt the butter and dark chocolate together until just melted. I prefer using the microwave, but you can also do this in a water bath. Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture every few seconds to prevent it from seizing. Set aside to cool slightly.
- To roast the almonds, heat a dry, heavy-based skillet over high heat. Add the raw almonds and toss continuously until golden and roasted. You want to really push them and get good color all around - this is where the rich, nutty flavor develops. However, be sure not to burn the almonds - keep moving them around in the skillet. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
- In a stand mixer, or electric hand mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar until doubled in volume, fluffy, and pale yellow.
