YIELDS:
8-16 servings
PREP TIME:
0 hour 15 mins
COOK TIME:
0 hours 30 mins
TOTAL TIME:
1 hrs 0 mins
Ingredients
Cake
9 Oz. good-quality dark chocolate 65% or higher, finely chopped (I use Ghirardelli)
18 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
7 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
Whipped Cream
1 Cup of heavy whipping cream
1 Tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. confectionary sugar
Fresh Raspberries
Powdered Sugar (for garnish)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease and line a 9-inch spring form pan bottom with parchment paper. Grease the paper again. If using the individual spring pans or ramekins, no parchment paper is needed. You will need 8 small ramekins or springform pans for individual servings.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or in a microwave-safe bowl, until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Remove from heat and stir until smooth and totally melted. Stir in the sugar, then let cool for a few minutes.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, fully combining between each addition. After all the eggs are added, continue to stir until the batter becomes thick and glossy. Stir in the vanilla extract and almond extract.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan (s). If using the one pan, bake 30-35 minutes, until the torte jiggles slightly in the middle but is not completely set. Begin checking at the 30-minute mark to ensure the torte does not over bake. If using the individual pans or ramekins, bake for 20-25 minutes but start checking at 15 minutes to be sure it doesn’t over bake. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the outside of the cake, then carefully open the spring pan and remove the cake. If using the ramekins, leave the cake in the dish and serve the torte in the baking vessel. Dust with powdered sugar. Cut into wedges or serve individual tortes. Serve with whipped cream and berries.
5. To make the whipped cream, mix all of the ingredients in a bowl with a hand held mixer. Beat for a couple of minutes until soft, slightly stiff peaks form.
NOTES: This is a very rich and dense hit of chocolate. A little bit goes a long way. You can make this in advance, cool and store in the refrigerator wrapped for three days. If you want to store this longer, cover with plastic wrap and put into an airtight container. Then you can freeze it for up to 3 months. I would let this thaw overnight in the refrigerator then top with powdered sugar, etc. Since this recipe serves 8-16 depending on how large a piece you serve OR if you use individual ramekins or springform pans you’ll get 8 individual desserts, I’ll often wrap single servings or 2-4 servings separately so I can enjoy it as desired.
On specials occasions (like Valentine’s Day), I whip out my cute little heart shaped Springform pans to make individual desserts. You can pick those up right on Amazon.
