Italian Chocolate Amaretto Torta

Submitted by Lou van

"I found this in a chocolate advert in Good Food magazine from 2006; its apparently taken from "Chocolate" by Linda Collister. I haven't tried it yet and I'd welcome any tips and hints. It sounds great and I know that if I don't post it here I'll forget where I found it and probably won't find it again for years."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 110 g dark chocolate (good quality with a high percentage of cocoa)
• 2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
• 110 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 110 g caster sugar, plus
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 60 g amaretti, crushed
• 60 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 -2 tablespoon icing sugar, for seving

directions

1. Heat oven to 180C / gas 4. Butter and line a loose-bottom 20 cm sandwich tin, then butter again and dust with flour.
2. Put the chocolate and Amaretto in a bowl over a pan of steaming water, do not let the bowl touch the water, and leave to melt. Remove from the heat, stir and cool.
3. Put the butter and 110g caster sugar in a bowl and using a wooden spoon or a mixer, beat until very light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, then stir in the cooled chocolate.
5. When thoroughly blended fold in the crushed biscuits and flour with a metal spoon.
6. Put the egg whites into a clean, grease free bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form.
7. Whisk in the remaining tbsp of sugar to make a stiff, glossy meringue; then fold into the cake mixture in 3 batches.
8. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin, then bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until just firm to the touch.
9. Let the torta cool in the tin for 10 minutes then remove from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
10. Dust with icing sugar and serve slightly warm or at room temperature with whipped cream and fresh berries. (I think a good home-made vanilla ice cream would be good with it).