Flourless Chocolate Cake
In parts of southern Italy pine nuts and oranges grow in abundance, and are used in many different dishes, both sweet and savory. I love the combination of chocolate and oranges, so this is one of my favorite desserts. It uses no flour, so it’s perfect for those who are gluten-free. The eggs allow the cake to be light and airy with a fudgy texture that is impossible to resist, especially covered in whipped cream!
Ingredients
Serves 6
Flourless Chocolate Cake:
¼ cup blanched almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons pine nuts
5 ½ oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
3 teaspoons minced orange zest
6 large eggs, separated, room temperature
½ cup sugar, divided
Process
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave oven and cool to room temperature.
Put almonds, pine nuts, and orange peel in the food processor and pulse until they form a coarse paste.
Whip the egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes until slightly increased in volume. Reduce beater speed to low and incorporate the chocolate and nuts, forming a stiff batter.
Wash the beaters and whip the egg whites with the other ¼ cup sugar until they peak. Gently fold the first half of the egg whites into the chocolate-egg yolk batter then the other half, gently mixing until incorporated.
Pour batter into a 9 inch cake pan or springform pan. Bake for 25 minutes (until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean). Top with whipped cream.
