By Tracey
Italian Chocolate-Almond Torte
from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich
Ingredients:
- 1 cup (5 ounces) unblanched or blanched whole almonds
- 7 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 7 large egg whites (1 cup), at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- powdered sugar or unsweetened cocoa powder for dusting
Directions:
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease the sides of a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Combine the almonds, chocolate, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and the salt in a food processor and pulse until the almonds and chocolate are very finely chopped but not completely pulverized. Set aside.
In the clean dry bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand-held mixer and a large bowl, beat the egg whites with cream of tarter until soft, moist peaks are formed when the beaters are lifted. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff but not dry. Add one-third of the nut mixture to the egg whites and fold in with a large rubber spatula until nearly incorporated. Fold in half of the remaining nut mixture, then fold in the remainder.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake until the torte has risen and is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, or with a little melted chocolate, 25 to 30 minutes. Set the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan and invert the cake onto the rack. Remove the bottom of the pan and then the parchment liner. Turn the cake right side up and cool completely. Cover or wrap tightly, and store for up to 3 days at room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar or cocoa before serving, if desired.
