Chocolate Amaretti Cake

Ingredients:

150gr (5oz) good dark chocolate

50gr (2oz) Amaretti biscuits

100gr (4oz) flaked slivered almonds

175gr (7oz) sugar

finely grated zest of an orange

100g (4oz) butter cut in cubes

4 eggs, beaten

cocoa powder or icing sugar for dusting


Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180c. Line the base of a 20cm (8in) diameter spring-form tin with greaseproof paper and butter the sides of the tin.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl sitting over a saucepan of simmering water or in a microwave or warming drawer.

Place the Amaretti biscuits, flaked almonds, sugar and orange zest in a food processor and whiz until the biscuits and almonds are almost finely ground. Add the butter and the eggs and blend. Then add the melted chocolate and briefly mix again until blended.

Pour the mixture into the prepare tin and put straight into the oven. Cook for 35-40 minutes until the cake is puffed up an slightly cracked around the edges. Remove and allow to sit for 15 minutes before transferring to a plate. As the top will crack you can serve this upside down for a more perfect looking cake. When it’s cool, dust with cocoa powder or icing sugar.

* If you don’t have a food processor, you will need to use ground almonds instead of flaked and place the biscuits in a plastic bag and break to fine crumbs with a rolling pin. Mix in a large bowl in the same order.