Chocolate Amaretti Cake (Rachel Allen)

This is a delicious cake, from Rachel's Food For Living. Rachel gives 35 minutes baking time in her book, it takes a bit longer in my oven.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 10-12

Ingredients

• 150  g  good dark chocolate (at least 55% cocoa solids, preferably 70%)
• 50  g amaretti (biscuits)
• 100  g  sliced almonds
• 175  g caster sugar
• 1  orange, zest of, finely grated
• 100  g butter, cubed
• 4  eggs, beaten
•  cocoa powder or  icing sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
2. Line the base of a 20cm-diameter springform tin with greaseproof paper and butter the sides.
3. Melt the chocolate in a bowl sitting over a saucepan of simmering water.
4. Place the amaretti biscuits, almonds, sugar and orange zest in a food processor, then whizz until the biscuits and almonds are almost finely ground .(not too fine).
5. Add the butter and eggs, whizz until blended, then add the melted chocolate and briefly whizz again until well combined.
6. Pour into the prepared tin and pop straight in the oven.
7. Cook for 35-45 minutes until the cake is puffed and slightly cracked around the edges.( test with a skewer after 35 minutes, it should come out clean)
8. Remove and leave to sit for 15 minutes before carefully transferring to a plate.
9. The top is quite crisp, and cracks easily, dust it with lots of icing sugar or cocoa powder before serving, to hide any imperfections.