Recipe: Flourless Almond Torte with Melted Chocolate and Berry Sauce

This European torte uses ground almonds (almond flour) in place of "normal" flour. It's a good option for anyone eating gluten-free. It's also delicious and easy. I was so enthralled that I decided the torte deserved its own photo album. I bet other nuts would work well also in this recipe, especially hazelnuts.

Ingredients
Cake
1 ½ cups almonds
¼ cup maple syrup
3 large eggs
1 tsp almond extract
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp sea salt
Toppings
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted, for topping
½ pint fresh raspberries
agave nectar, to taste
lemon juice, to taste
2 Tbs almonds, toasted and chopped

Procedure
1 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8 inch cake pan (a fluted tart pan or pie tin would work) with a parchment paper circle cut to fit the bottom.
2 In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, grind the almonds until they have a flour like consistency, about 1 - 2 minutes. If you go too long, it will get sticky and eventually turn to almond butter... not what you want. Run a spatula around the sides of the work bowl if it isn't mixing evenly.
3 Measure the maple syrup, eggs, extracts, and salt into a measuring cup, mixing well to break up the eggs. With the food processor running, pour the maple syrup mixture through the feed tube and process until smooth.
4 Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes. The torte is ready when the top is lightly golden brown and the center is just set, it may appear to even be a bit jiggly. Touch it to make sure it isn't too dry. Tent with foil if the top browns too quickly.
5 While the torte is baking, puree the raspberries with a touch of agave and a splash of lemon juice. Strain out seeds and set aside.
6 When torte is finished allow it to cool slightly before gently inverting the torte over a plate to remove from the pan. Carefully peel off the parchment paper. Turn it back over and place it on serving platter. Spread the melted dark chocolate over followed by the toasted almonds. Serve with the raspberry sauce.

Author: Adapted from "One Bite at a Time" by Rebecca Katz

Recipe: Molten Chocolate Cakes

Because sometimes you just need a sinfully good dessert, I'm throwing this one in here. It's the best taste/effort ratio ever for baking, and people love it. I mean, chocolate molten cakes... What's not to love?! The original recipe appeared in Bon Appetit Magazine, but I've adapted it considerably over time. This recipe makes exactly two little cakes. A lot of the recipes for some reason make too many servings, but this one can be doubled if needed. These are also perfect for relaxed entertaining because the batter can be made ahead, and bakes fairly quickly at the end of your meal.

My next revision will be to try a healthier version using a sugar alternative like succanat. If you attempt it please let me know how it goes!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
2 ounces (4 tbsp) bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate (chopped bulk chocolate or use chocolate chips)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
2 teaspoons all purpose flour
Spices (optional -- cinnamon, ginger, cayanne, mace all work)

Powdered sugar
Mint (optional)
Real vanilla bean ice cream (optional)

Note: It is crucial to use good quality chocolate. I'm loyal to Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Procedure

Butter and dust with sugar two 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups.

Whisk cocoa and sugar in small bowl to blend. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; whisk in cocoa mixture. Whisk in egg yolks, then whole egg and flour. At this point, you can add spices if you'd like to get creative. I use about a 1/2 tsp cinnamon along with a pinch of cayanne usually.

Divide batter between prepared ramekins. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake cakes uncovered until edges are set but center is still shiny, about 18 minutes.

Cut around cakes to loosen; turn out onto plates. Sift powdered sugar over; garnish with mint and serve with ice cream if you'd like.