Sunken Chocolate Amaretto Cake Food

SUNKEN CHOCOLATE AMARETTO CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 and lightly grease the sides and line the base of your springform cake tin with baking paper.
• Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, either over a pan of boiling water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water, or in a microwave. Pour into a jug and leave to cool a little.
• Whisk the eggs and sugar until thick, moussy and doubled, if not tripled, in volume. This will take 2-3 minutes, using a freestanding mixer, or 4-5 minutes with an electric hand whisk.
• Mix the almonds and cocoa together in a small bowl. Turn the mixer speed to low and gently whisk into the eggs and sugar, tablespoon by tablespoon.
• Stir the amaretto liqueur into the slightly cooled, melted chocolate and butter, then pour this glossy mixture in a slow, steady stream into the cake batter, whisking all the time; it will look like a fabulous chocolate mousse. Give a final fold by hand to make sure everything is combined.
• Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cake is beginning to come away at the edges, the top has formed a slightly cracked and bubbled thin crust the colour of pale milk chocolate - the cake will be dark and tender underneath - and a cake tester comes out with just a few damp crumbs cleaving to it.
• Remove to a wire rack, drape a clean tea towel over the tin and leave to cool. As it cools, the top of the cake will crack a little more, and it will sink slightly, leaving a frilly edge. Once the cake is cold, unclip the tin, and gently lift the cake out - remove the base only if you are very brave - onto a cake stand or plate. Dust the teaspoon of cocoa through a tea strainer over the top, rather like the coating on a chocolate truffle.
• Just before serving, whip the cream and amaretto together, until ripples start showing on the surface and it's thickened but still soft enough to dollop alongside the cake. Very gently fold most of the crumbled amaretti biscuits into the cream, which will thicken it slightly more. Decant into a small serving bowl and sprinkle the rest of the amaretti crumbles on top.

CHOCOLATE AMARETTI CAKE

Steps:

• 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.

SUNKEN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Set oven rack to lowest possible position in oven.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Have ready a greased 8-9" springform pan lined with parchment paper.
• Put chocolate pieces into a large microwaveable bowl and cook on HIGH for 1 minute,stir, and continue cooking for 30 seconds, then stir again,repeat as needed until smooth& melted.
• Set melted chocolate- still in cooking bowl- over another bowl filled with HOT water on counter.
• Meanwhile, beat egg whites,adding just 1/4 cup of the sugar gradually, until stiff peaks form- they will appear shiny.
• In another bowl,cream the butter and remaining 1/4 cup sugar until fluffy.
• Add egg yolks and beat for 1 minute.
• Add finely ground nuts (they should be almost like a gritty powder) and the brandy and beat for 2 more minutes.
• Now, your chocolate should still be slightly warm, but no longer burning hot- add just a bit at a time to the butter mixture, stirring with a rubber spatula to combine well until all is added.
• Fold just 1/4 of the chocolate butter mixture into the egg whites.
• Next, gently pour the now chocolatey egg white mixture into the remaining chocolate butter mixture and fold very gently- you don't want to crush down the egg whites.
• (This whole back and forth procedure is essential to keeping the egg whites from getting crushed and to avoid cooking the eggs into scrambled eggs.) Pour carefully into the springform pan.
• Bake 40-45 minutes if using an 8" pan, slightly less for the 9" pan (about 35-40 minutes).
• Cake is ready when a toothpick comes out with thick, moist but NOT wet crumbs stuck to it- it should NOT come out clean.
• Let cake cool in pan 30 minutes- the cake will sink considerably.
• Remove outer ring of pan and invert cake onto a platter.
• -peel off the parchment.
• Sprinkle with some additional granulated sugar (or powdered sugar).
• This should be served warm, with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream on top, and a garnish of fresh berries in season.
• It is moist in texture- more like a fudgey brownie than a fluffy cake texture.
• Leftovers should be kept in the fridge.
• If you need to make this in advance, set the cake out on the counter about 30 minutes before serving to bring it to room temperature.
• Garnish just before serving or the whipped cream will weep and make a mess all over the cake.

CHOCOLATE AMARETTO CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Spray three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Then line the bottoms with parchment paper.
• Combine cake mix, 1 1/3 cups water, eggs, oil, 3 tablespoons amaretto, and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract in large bowl; whisk until well blended.
• Toss 1 cup of chocolate chips in with 1 tablespoon flour, then gently fold into batter.
• Divide batter among prepared pans. (the layers will be thin).
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes.
• Run knife around pan sides. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely. Brush each cake layer with 2 tablespoons amaretto.
• Combine butter and cream in medium saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until butter melts and mixture comes to simmer.
• Remove from heat. Add remaining 2 cups chocolate chips and whisk until melted.
• Mix in remaining 3 tablespoons amaretto. Cool until barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes.
• Whisk in sour cream and remaining 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, then powdered sugar.
• Refrigerate frosting just until thick enough to spread, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes.
• Place 1 cake layer on platter. Spread 1/3 cup frosting over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 1/3 cup frosting over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. (concentrate most of the frosting on the top of the cake)
• Press nuts around the sides of the cake. Chill at leat 2 hours.
• (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome; keep chilled.).

SUNKEN DRUNKEN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Gently heat the prunes and Marsala over a low heat until hot. Remove from the heat and leave for about 1 hr or until the prunes have absorbed almost all of the liquid. Whizz the prunes and any remaining booze in a food processor until roughly chopped.
• Butter and line the base of a 20cm springform tin. Dust with cocoa, tip out any excess and reserve. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir in the prune mix.
• Whisk the sugars, 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks until pale, thick and doubled in volume. Fold the chocolate mixture and vanilla into the egg mixture, then sift over the ground almonds, flour and remaining cocoa. Fold until everything is combined.
• Whisk the egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the mixture. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 20-25 mins or until a light crust has formed. Allow to cool in the tin - it will sink and crack as it cools. Remove from the tin and dust with cocoa before serving.