French Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, softened
1 C almonds or filberts, skin on
3/4 C semisweet chocolate pieces or 4 1-oz squares
2/3 C sugar
3 eggs
grated rind of 1 large orange
1/4 C very fine bread crumbs
1) Butter bottom and sides of an 8" round cake pan, then line the bottom with baking parchment. Set aside.
2) Grind the almonds as fine as possible in blender (I used food processor) and set aside.
3) Melt chocolate in a double boiler over hot, not boiling, water.
4) Cream butter until very soft and light.
5) Very gradually add the sugar, beating constantly.
6) Add eggs, one at a time, beating hard after each addition. The batter at this point will look curdled but don't worry about it.
7) Stir in the melted chocolate, ground nuts, orange rind, and bread crumbs thoroughly.
8) Pour into prepared pan and bake at 375F for 25 minutes.
9) Allow cake to cool on rack for 30 minutes, then turn out onto cake rack (run metal spatula around the edge first). If cake doesn't drop easily, give the pan a bang with your hand. Lift off parchment carefully.
10) Cool completely before glazing. The center will not seem cooked but that's what gives it a soft texture.
Glaze:
2 1-oz squares of unsweetened chocolate
2 1-oz squares of semisweet chocolate
1/4 C butter, softened and cut up
2 t honey
toasted slivers of almond or whole filberts
1) Combine the two chocolates, butter, and honey and melt in double boiler.
2) Remove from heat and beat until cold but still pourable, i.e. thickened.
3) Place cake on rack over a piece of waxed paper or large platter and pour glaze over top. Tip the cake to let glaze run evenly all over and down the sides. Smooth if necessary with a metal spatula.
4) Garland the rim of cake with toasted slivers of almonds or filberts (I did the top).
A tasty way to end the month, no? Hope you'll like it!
"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams
