Torta Caprese

I went looking for a fabulous Italian dessert to serve to friends along with my Kale Lasagna. And I found it! a flourless chocolate cake, called Torta Caprese. This recipe was from a blogger who shared recipes from her favorite meals while in Italy. Unbelievable! and made better served with Talenti Sea Salt Caramel gelato on the side.

Torta Caprese

serves 12

Ingredients:

• 9 ounces (255 g) good quality dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces (I used Intense Dark 72% cacao bars by Ghiradelli)
• 1 cup (225 g) butter
• ¼ cup (25 g) cocoa powder (I used Hershey's special dark cocoa powder)
• 1 tablespoon almond extract
• 1 ¼ cup (250 g) granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups ground blanched and toasted almonds
• 6 eggs, room temperature

Directions:

1. Toast the almonds in a dry pan on top of the stove or at a high heat in the oven. Grind them in a food processor.
2. Preheat oven to 310°F and line the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan with parchment paper.
3. Combine chocolate and butter in a microwavable bowl. Use melt chocolate function on microwave to melt chocolate. Be sure to stop it and stir along the way. (of course you could also melt it with a double boiler or very low heat and a heavy pan, but this works great for me with my microwave) 
4. In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk together the melted chocolate mixture, the cocoa powder, almond extract and sugar until combined. 
5. Add the ground almonds and whisk until combined.  
6. Add the eggs one at a time, adding each egg after the first has been incorporated into the mixture. 
7. Pour the mixture into the spring form pan.  Make sure the mixture is level and smooth on top.  Bake for 50 minutes. (start checking it at 45 minutes, it should be firm in the middle).  
8. Cool, flip cake over onto cake plate and serve with chocolate spirals or shavings and powdered sugar.  Serve with gelato or whipped cream. 

Valentine Cake

I made this chocolate cake recipe a few weeks ago and we all declared it the best chocolate cake ever. I vowed to make it again for Valentine's Day. This time I even got out the food color and made a pink cake! I will never be the talented cake decorator that my sister in law is, but I was pretty happy with how this turned out and how yummy it was!

We had my parents and my aunt over yesterday for dinner - it's become a Sunday night tradition. This cake combined with Guernsey Ice Cream's Moose Tracks made for a decadent dessert (and perhaps a sugar coma!). I sent them home with the other half of the cake, but I do look forward to the next holiday and making it again!

Best Chocolate Cake EVER
serves 12-16


Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup milk (I use almond milk, but regular would of course be fine)
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot, brewed coffee
• 2 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. In a large bowl of electric mixer sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder.
3. Add oil, milk, vanilla, coffee, and eggs. Beat well. Batter will be thin. 
4. Pour into 2 9-inch round greased and floured pans. (I use a baking spray that has flour in it)
5. Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes or until top springs back when done. Cool on wire rack.

After the cakes cooled, I sliced each layer horizontally to make 4 layers, then wrapped each layer in plastic wrap and stuck in the freezer.

The next day I made the frosting and frosted the cake. This helped reduce the crumbs I had to deal with greatly!

I used Wilton's buttercream icing recipe (doubled it) and added in some pink food coloring for Valentine's Day. I did have some leftover icing, but had I made 1 batch I would not have had enough to frost 4 layers.

Okay, maybe not the healthiest dessert - I don't think the canola oil and almond milk really lend that much healthy-ness to it - but it was delicious for a special treat!