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Fudgy, frosted chocolate almond cake with whiskey and orange zest

Chocolate Almond Whiskey Cake

Fudgy, frosted chocolate almond cake with whiskey and orange zest
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes: 8 large pieces
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Ingredients
  

For the cake

  • 230 gms dark cooking chocolate, chopped (70%)
  • 1 cup ground almonds (see notes)
  • 125 gms butter, at room temp
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 and 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
  • 4 tbsps whiskey or rum
  • 5 eggs, at room temp

For the ganache

  • 1/3 cup cream, whipping or regular
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 2 tbsps whiskey
  • 125 gms dark cooking chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions

  • Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
  • Grease a 9" round springform pan and preheat the oven to 180 C.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the ground almonds, butter, sugar and orange zest. Beat on low speed using the paddle attachment until well combined and paler in colour, about 2 minutes. (Or use a mixing bowl and hand mixer, making sure the bowl is large and deep enough to hold the batter.)
  • Now add the flour, vanilla and whiskey, beating briefly to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on low before adding the next one. This incorporates enough air into the batter to help it rise.
  • Now pour in the melted chocolate, and beat on medium speed until fully combined and smooth.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothen the top and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the surface has cracks and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter (over baking the cake will dry out the inside). Let the cake cool completely at room temperature. As it cools it will sink a little bit and the cracks will almost completely close up.
  • To make the ganache, first place the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Then combine the cream, orange zest and whiskey together in a small saucepan on low heat, stirring often until hot, but not boiling. Pour over the chocolate and stir to combine until melted and smooth.
  • The ganache is fairly thick but it needs to cool a bit and thicken further. Then spread it on top of the cake and decorate with sprinkles, toasted almonds or whatever else you may like! Serve the cake warm or at room temperature. Store in the fridge in an airtight tin for 4 to 5 days. While I haven't tried it, I'm sure this cake will also freeze well. Happy baking!

Notes

*Grinding almonds at home is fine for this recipe (it's what I did) but typically the texture is coarser than store-bought almond meal so the cake has more of a bite to it. If making your own, remember not to let your blender or food processor run too long or you'll wind up with almond butter!