CHOCOLATE ALMOND SPONGE CAKE: Gluten free for National Sponge Cake Day

Today is National Sponge Cake Day, and you know what that means -- Chocolate Sponge Cake. I have several recipes for Chocolate Sponge Cake that I post for Passover, but this Chocolate Sponge Cake is fabulous all year round. It's made with almond flour.

Want to dress it up? Add some whipped cream and fresh berries, cut it in half and fill with a light chocolate buttercream, or cut it up and put it in a trifle. Easy to make and delicious.

A few hints. Fresh Almond flour is readily available where I live and online, but you can always grind your own. Use a hand grinder (a clean coffee grinder) or blender --not a food processor which could result in oil rather than flour. I've used a blender, and just did this in smaller increments, about 1/2 cup at a time. Almond and chocolate go very well together. Try using different types of chocolate to achieve the flavor you like best. Enjoy!

Because there are so many eggs to separate in this recipe, I use the 'egg trick.' Break all eggs into bowl (yes yolks and whites). Then take an empty water bottle and place the neck near a yolk and squeeze the water bottle. The yolk pops up into the bottle. Then place the water bottle over another bowl and release. So cool! Try with one egg first, just to master this simple task!

CHOCOLATE ALMOND SPONGE CAKE

Ingredients
7 ounces dark chocolate (60-75% cacao), chopped
10 eggs, separated
3/4 cup white sugar
2 cups ground almonds

Almond Flour

Directions
Melt chocolate in top of double boiler or saucepan over another saucepan of simmering water. Set aside.
Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Gradually beat in sugar. Blend in chocolate and ground almonds.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate batter.
Spoon batter into ungreased 10 inch Bundt pan or tall springform pan.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven, invert pan, and cool about 40 minutes before removing from pan.

CHOCOLATE PECAN TORTE: National Pecan Torte Day

Today is National Pecan Torte Day.  I've posted many chocolate pecan pie recipes, but a torte is not a pie. Here's a definition from Wiki:

A torte is a cake made primarily with eggs, sugar, and ground nuts instead of flour. Variations may include bread crumbs as well as some flour. Tortes are Central European in origin. The word torte is derived from the German word Torte, which was derived from the Italian word torta, which was used to describe a round cake or bread.

Tortes are commonly baked in a Springform pan. An element common to most tortes is sweet icing. (Exceptions include several French tortes, such as Gâteau Mercédès and Gâteau Alcazar.) When the cake is layered, a thick covering of icing is placed between the layers, and there is almost always icing on the tops and sides of the torte. A number of European tortes do not have layers.

Following are two recipes for Chocolate Pecan Torte. The FIRST is easier and fun to make! Lots of shortcuts. The SECOND is fabulous but much more involved. They're both very tasty! As always, a lot depends on the quality of your ingredients.

1. Chocolate Pecan Torte 
from Epicurean.com This recipe is fun to make, as well as easy and delicious. O.K. it's not traditional, but its great!

Ingredients:
No-stick flour and oil baking spray
1 prepared 8 or 9 inch pecan pie, thawed if frozen
1 box (about 1 pound 4 ounces) fudge brownie mix, makes a 9-by-13-inch pan
1/4 cup brewed coffee or water
2 tablespoons bourbon or other whiskey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, large or extra-large

Directions:
Heat oven to 325F. Spray interior of 9-inch springform pan with baking spray.
Cover surface of pie with plastic wrap and top with plate. Invert pie onto plate, and remove pie tin. Invert prepared springform pan over pie and then invert whole, so that  pie slides into pan. Remove plate and, using the plastic wrap to keep your hands clean, smash pie so it fills bottom of pan.
Mix brownie mix, coffee, bourbon, oil, and eggs in medium mixing bowl until smooth and texture of wet mud. Pour over pie and smooth top. Bake until sides are firm and top is crusty but center is still soft, about 50 minutes. Cool until pan is comfortable to touch; remove sides of pan and cool completely. Cut into wedges to serve.

***

This SECOND recipe won the $1000 1985 Woman's Day "Yummiest Chocolate Recipe Contest." I've changed it slightly, adding more chocolate and an apricot jam filling. This torte is more traditional and reminds me of a Viennese Torte. You can substitute raspberry or peach jam.

2. Chocolate Pecan Torte

Chocolate Pecan Torte:
12 ounces dark  chocolate (70% cacao-fair trade organic)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 1/4 cup pecans
3/4 cup softened unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
5 eggs, separated
1/3 cup sifted flour
2 Tbsp dark rum
2 tsp pure vanilla

Apricot Filling:
1/3 cup apricot jam
1 Tbsp orange liqueur
2 Tbsp dark rum
2 tsp lemon juice

Chocolate Glaze:
6 ounces dark chocolate (65-70% cacao)
2 Tbsp heavy cream
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Decoration:
1/2 cup pecan halves
1 Tbsp sweet butter
1 Tbsp Apricot Filling

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Butter 9" springform pan and dust with cocoa, shaking out excess. Set aside.
In top of double boiler, over hot water, melt the two chocolates together. Stir until smooth, and completely combined. Remove from heat, and allow chocolate to cool slightly.
Using food processor, grind pecans fine with about 1/2 cup of the sugar. Add butter and remaining sugar, creaming together well. Beat in egg yolks, rum, and vanilla extract. Add flour and process with the rest. Add melted and cooled chocolate, and process again. It's quite dense.
Whip egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Mix about 1/3 of beaten egg whites into thick chocolate batter, then fold chocolate mixture into remaining whites, folding thoroughly.
Spread chocolate batter into prepared springform pan, and bake in preheated 325 degrees oven for 30 minutes or more, until toothpick inserted in center comes slightly moist.
Remove torte from oven, and allow to cool and settle in pan.
Take off springform, and transfer torte to its serving dish.

Sieve apricot jam into small saucepan. Add orange liqueur, rum, and lemon juice. Bring to boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer a moment, then remove pan. Reserve 1 tablespoon of finished glaze for pecan trim, and spread rest over torte. Allow apricot filling to set, then top with chocolate glaze.

In top of double boiler, over hot water, melt chocolate and cream together. Remove from heat, and stir in butter, whisking till smooth. Allow glaze to cool until it will spread smoothly over torte. Use metal spatula to smooth it evenly over top, and coat sides with thinner layer.

In small sauce pan, combine apricot glaze, and butter. Melt them together. Add pecan halves, and stir until all are coated. Drain nuts, and allow to set slightly, then press around edge of torte.

SPUMONI DAY: Spumoni Ice Cream Cake

Today is National Spumoni Day! Spumoni, not to be confused with zamboni, is a multicolored Italian ice cream. When I was growing up, it was usually a flavorless ice cream served in Italian restaurants at the end of a meal. It wasn't until I visited Italian friends that I tasted really good Spumoni.

By definition, Spumoni is a special Italian dessert made of layers of ice cream, whipped cream, candied fruit, and nuts. Each layer contains different flavors and ingredients. In traditional dessert kitchens, spumoni is often made of three layers of flavor: chocolate, pistachio, and cherry. Each layer of Spumoni ice cream may include more than flavored ice cream. The chocolate layer, for example, may include chocolate shavings or chunks. Sometimes the chocolate layer has crushed hazelnuts inside. Not only does the hazelnut add a lovely flavor to the chocolate, but it also compliments the pistachio layer. The pistachio layer, of course, almost always includes crushed pistachio nuts. Finally, the fruit layer of spumoni is usually made with candied fruit. The cherry layer is the most traditional fruit component to the dessert.

 

Not surprisingly Ben & Jerry's has a recipe for Spumoni Ice Cream Cake. It's so easy and delicious. I've added cherries and hazelnuts.

SPUMONI ICE CREAM CAKE

Ingredients
1 pint Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia
1 pint Ben & Jerry’s Pistachio Pistachio
1 pint Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie
4 large brownies (homemade or store bought)

Toppings: Chocolate *Ganache
1 cup (8 oz) chocolate chips and 1 cup heavy cream
Cookie Crumbs – 4 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
Maraschino Cherries
Chopped Hazelnuts

Directions
In a silicone or metal baking pan/pie plate place a layer of brownies and push down firmly to make a thin layer of crust. Soften 1 pint of ice cream so it is soft enough to spread. Spread over crust and place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until it's firm.
While that’s in the freezer, pull out another pint of ice cream to soften. Repeat step 2 for the remaining flavors until you have all three layers spread in the pan. Add either cookie crumbs or ganache as a topping, and return the cake to the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
Remove cake from freezer and cut into individual slices to serve. You may need to remove the cake and let it soften before slicing if left in the freezer for 30 minutes or longer. Add chopped hazelnuts and maraschino cherries.

*Chocolate Ganache: Place heat proof (glass or stainless steel) bowl over boiling water. Add 1 cup of cream to heat the cream to a low boil and remove from heat. Slowly add cream to chocolate pieces. Let the ganache cool, but while it’s still liquid use a spoon to drizzle the ganache over the cake. Top with Maraschino Cherries.

Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Scones: Bacon Lovers Day

Photo: Bacon Today

There are several Bacon Days on the holiday food calendar. Today is Bacon Lovers Day! Here's a tasty way to celebrate. 

This recipe for Maple Bacon Chocolate Chip Scones is adapted from the Bacon Today website. If you're into bacon, you'll want to check out their site for Bacon Recipes, Bacon Shop, Bacon News, and more.

MAPLE BACON CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES

3 cups flour (plus extra for work area)
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 Tbsp maple syrup
3/4 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet, milk, or dark--or a mix of all)
1/2 cup bacon bits (you can also use candied bacon bits)
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
*to make sour milk, simply combine 1 Tbsp white vinegar for every cup of milk, then let sit for 15 minutes

Directions
Preheat oven to 425° F.
Combine flour, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, and baking power in medium bowl. Add soft butter and cut with pastry blade or by crossing 2 knives. When mixture resembles fine crumbs, add in chocolate chips and bacon bits. Combine until chips and bits are coated in flour mixture.
Add sour milk and maple syrup. Mix well.
Turn mixture onto  floured working surface. Knead dough, adding enough extra flour to make slightly stiff dough. Shape into rectangle, about 3/4 inch thick. Cut dough into squares, then cut each square into triangles.
Place triangles on parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned.