In Celebration Of Eggs

The recent bouts of strange and unpredictably cold weather provide the perfect excuse to try a recipe from Alice Medrich's book 'Pure Dessert'. I've been eyeing off this torta cioccolata for a few days now. It looks deliciously light and simple, the picture alongside the featured recipe screams out "eat me!". Unfortunately I can't seem to follow a recipe without tampering with it just a little..

To celebrate World Egg Day with Abby at Eat The Right Stuff I had to get off my backside and make this very rich, very fabulous chocolate torte smothered with cocoa mascarpone, covered with lush chocolate glaze and toasted almonds.

Torta Cioccolata

140 g raw almonds, chopped
200 g dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
145 castor sugar
250 g egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar or juice of half a
lemon

Preheat oven to 175ºC.
Butter 2 x 8 inch cake tins and line bases with baking paper.
Whisk egg whites with cream of tartar to medium peak.
Slowly add sugar and continue whisking until it reaches stiff peak.
Throw in chopped almonds, chocolate and salt and fold gently a few times to incorporate evenly.
Divide mix evenly between the 2 tins and slide straight into the oven.
Bake for approximately 18 minutes, turning and rotating shelves halfway.

Cocoa Mascarpone

320 g mascarpone
20 g icing sugar
12 g unsweetened cocoa

Mix all ingredients until smooth.

Chocolate Glaze

22.5 g unsweetened cocoa
45 g castor sugar
100 g water
150 g dark chocolate
100 g milk
15 g unsalted butter

Combine cocoa, sugar and water in a small pot.
Simmer for 4 minutes, stirring continuously with a spatula.
Add the chocolate and milk, stirring until melted.
Remove from heat.
Throw in the butter and mix until emulsified.

To assemble, sandwich cakes with a generous layer of cocoa mascarpone.
Cover with hot chocolate glaze.
Press roughly sliced toasted almonds into the sides of the cake.
Refrigerate until set.