Chocolate Almond Torte with Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8-10
 
Rich dark chocolate and roasted almonds come together in this melt-in-your-mouth chocolate torte. Topped with chocolate whipped cream frosting.
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups roasted almonds
  • ⅔ cup superfine sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 5½ ounces chocolate (I used 72% but you can use semisweet if you prefer)
  • ¾ cup butter
  • 5 eggs yolks
  • 5 egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • **For the Frosting**
  • 8 ounces chocolate
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • scant 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
Instructions
  1. To prepare the torte: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan, dusting off the excess. Process the roasted almonds, almond extract and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a food processor until the nuts are completely pulverized. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the flour.
  2. Melt the chocolate on top of a double boiler over hot water, stirring constantly. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and set aside.
  3. Using a hand mixer, cream the butter at medium speed until pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining sugar and vanilla extract and continue creaming until the mixture is very light. Add the egg yolks one at a time, making sure each one is completely incorporated into the mixture before adding the next one. Add the melted chocolate and stir well to combine. Stir in the almond mixture and again, combine well.
  4. In another bowl beat the egg whites with the hand mixer until stiff, then fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula until combined.
  5. Bake for about 40 minutes (25 min if using convection) or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the torte on a wire rack, removing the springform rim after a few minutes. Let cool completely before adding the frosting.
  6. To prepare the frosting: Melt the remaining 8 ounces chocolate in a double boiler and set aside to cool to lukewarm. Beat the heavy cream in a bowl with a hand mixer until it's stiff, adding the scant teaspoon of superfine sugar after a minute of mixing. Start the mixer at lower speed, increasing as you go. The cream will get quite stiff after just 3-4 minutes and you want to stop just as the texture resembles that of soft butter. You can stop sooner than this but I found that the frosting held up better this way. Fold the lukewarm chocolate into the whipped cream and spread on top of the torte. You can serve immediately but I found that this torte tasted even better chilled the next day.
Recipe by Lemons + Anchovies at https://lemonsandanchovies.com/2012/10/chocolate-almond-torte-with-chocolate-whipped-cream-frosting/