Every year on my birthday, my mother makes me the most incredible cake. It's everything I love in this life: dark, spiced, nearly savory, and the ideal pair for a cup of tea or coffee! Happy birthday to me! All of you wonderful Teahearts are invited to my bake-along party.
The key with this recipe is the technique. Your egg whites must be beaten to a true glossy stiff peak! No wishy-washy half-assing your egg beatery here, or you'll end up with a less than ideal texture: tough and dense, as opposed to the soft, airy texture it ought to be. Additionally, you want to be patient with your almond and chocolate. My greatest weakness in preparing this cake is always this step. I tend to grind the chocolate and almond too roughly, not being a particularly patient baker, and always regret when I don't take the time to grind to a fine, even grit.
If I make one wish on my birthday candles this year, it's for you to enjoy this cake (and/or its black tea counterpart) in good health, warmth, and joy.
xoxo, Friday
Friday's Mexi-Chocolate Birthday Torte
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw whole almonds
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup all-purpose or gluten-free flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar (divided use)
- 1/4 cup oil (I use coconut oil, my mother uses canola)
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup oil (I use coconut oil, my mother uses canola)
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons half-and-half (or as needed)
Instructions
- Grease sides of a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350F
- In a food processor, grind the almonds and chocolate chips with the cocoa powder until very, very fine. Stir the ground chocolate mixture with the flour and spices and set aside.
- Separate the eggs and set aside whites in a metal bowl.
- Whisk the egg yolks with 1/2 cup of the sugar and the vanilla until light and fluffy, then whisk in oil and set aside. Beat the egg whites with the vinegar and salt until the whites hold stiff peaks. With the mixer still running, stream in the rest of the sugar and continue beating for a few seconds to dissolve the sugar.
- Fold one third of the egg whites and half the dry ingredient mixture into the bowl with the yolks. Fold in another third of the whites with the remaining chocolate mixture, then fold in the last third of the whites to make a light, fluffy batter.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and bake for 30 minutes, or just until the cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Turn the cooled cake upside down directly onto a serving platter and peel away the parchment paper.
- For the glaze: Put the chocolate chips and oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until smooth. Cool slightly, then pour over finished cake.
- Put the powdered sugar and half-and-half in a small bowl and stir until smooth. If the glaze seems pasty, add a little more cream. The glaze should be soft enough to flow steadily in a thick stream from the spoon, but not too runny. Put the glaze into a ziploc bag and snip one corner to form a very thin pastry bag spout.
- Pipe the white sugar glaze in a spiral from the center of the cake outward to the rim. Pull a knife or toothpick repeatedly from the center outward to create a spiderweb pattern.
