Enter your email address:

Random header image... Refresh for more!

And The Winner Is…Chocolate Almond Cake

by Moi

There are many advantages of living abroad, one of which is discovering new foods and ingredients. Like all bored expat spouses (remember Julia in Julie and Julia) Moi needed something to do while living in Paris, and ended up taking lots of cooking classes. An ingredient I had seen in the grocery, but never purchased, is ground almonds.

Staceycake2CoMo bff S and Moi met in Paris, and have taken many cooking classes together. Now that we’re both ex-expats, we enjoy sharing our culinary discoveries with our US family and friends. S developed this recipe to share her love of chocolate and almonds, and to make a standard chocolate cake or brownie into a truly special dessert.

And that’s why S won first prize in a local baking contest this month!

 

First Place: Chocolate Almond Cake

  •   3 eggs
  • 4.4 ounces chocolate
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup ground almonds
  • 1/3 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt chocolate in large bowl over boiling water. Whisk in butter and sugar. Remove from heat. Whisk in eggs, flour and almonds. Bake in paper-lined 8-inch pan for 20 minutes. If you cook this a shorter time, it is gooey like a flourless cake, and I serve it with a raspberry sauce or a crème anglaise. If you cook it 15-20 minutes longer, it is more like a brownie but still gooey, and is best topped with fresh raspberries. — CoMo bff  S

Staceycake1

Moi tips:

  • if you’re traveling in Paris (and other European cities) ground almonds are readily available at a very amandereasonable price. They’re packaged in small plastic bags, and freeze great. Throw a few bags in your suitcase: much easier than grinding the almonds at home. I purchase Vahiné amandes en poudre, and freeze them until needed.
  • crème anglaise is an elegant finish to many French desserts, and not difficult to make. But Moi learned a tip for serving crème anglaise from the Barefoot Contessa, and of course shared it with CoMo bff S, and now is sharing it with you: Buy a carton of Häagen-Dazs Vanilla ice cream, allow to thaw until liquid, and serve. Voila!

Bon Appétit!

4 comments

1 Queen Mum { 12.05.09 at 8:44 am }

I’m not quite sure if I want to TRY this on guests, but I AM having a luncheon this week and I’m THINKING of it as a dessert. Can you prepare it ahead of time…..

2 Moi { 12.05.09 at 9:28 am }

Hi QM
Moi happens to be sitting here with CoMo bff S and she says you can easily make it the night before, just wrap tightly in foil. No need to refrigerate. But Moi has made this recipe also, and frozen leftovers to use at a later date.

Bon App!

3 Kelly Sutton { 12.05.09 at 9:51 am }

Yum! That looks and sounds so AMAZING. I love cake so I just might have to try making it sometime. Thanks for the recipe.

4 Moi { 12.09.09 at 10:28 am }

I’ve received several emails about ground almonds. I’m lucky enough to have a freezer-full from trips to Paris, but here are a few tips on grinding your own almonds:
- use a mortar and pestle with a hard, twisting motion grind in small batches
- pour almonds into a blender, food processor or coffee grinder and process with a few short bursts or the almonds will turn to almond butter
- enclose almonds in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush

Many health, nut and food specialty stores carry ground almonds, and they can easily be purchased online. Stock up and freeze what you don’t use. Many cookie and cake recipes use ground almonds, and ground almonds can replace flour in many dessert recipes, great for your friends and family with celiac who can’t have gluten products.
bon app!

Leave a Comment