I made one 9 inch cake for Amy and Kevin 2025 on their 25th wedding anniversary.
This cake is gluten free, keeps well in the fridge for up to 1 week and can be frozen un-iced. Thanks Tristan for sharing your expertise on the difference between almond meal and almond flour.
For two thick 9 inch cakes you need the following for each one ( in other words the following twice if you want two cakes:
3/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup hot water
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
330 g butter (about 1 1/2 cups)
300 g dark chocolate
2 1/4 cups almond meal (I used almond flour)
9 eggs
For one thin 9 inch cake and one 6 inch cake you will need the following for each one.
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup hot water
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
220 g butter ( about 1 cup)
200 g dark chocolate
1 1/2 cups almond meal (I used almond flour)
6 eggs
Preheat oven to 170 C/338 F. Grease cake tins and line the base with baking paper.
Put cocoa into a medium saucepan and slowly whisk in the hot water to form a smooth paste. Add sugar, butter and chocolate. Stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Stir in the almond meal and eggs. Pour into tin and bake for about 60-70 minutes for the two deep 22cm cakes, 50 minutes for thinner 22cm (9 in) cake, and 1 hour 20 minutes for 16cm (6 in) cake or until cooked when tested with a skewer. I baked the 9 inch cake for 1 1/2 hours to get the toothpick to come out clean but read elsewhere that flourless cakes can be taken out when the middle is still a bit jiggly otherwise they can be a bit dry. Not sure if that applies to this cake. The cake wasn't overly dry but I will try a bit less time in the oven next time. Cool cake in the tin, then remove, cover and refrigerate until needed. They can all be frozen at his stage if you are planning ahead. Cool, wrap in baking paper then cling film and freeze flat (on a tray is good). Defrost over night .
Put cocoa into a medium saucepan and slowly whisk in the hot water to form a smooth paste. Add sugar, butter and chocolate. Stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Stir in the almond meal and eggs. Pour into tin and bake for about 60-70 minutes for the two deep 22cm cakes, 50 minutes for thinner 22cm (9 in) cake, and 1 hour 20 minutes for 16cm (6 in) cake or until cooked when tested with a skewer. I baked the 9 inch cake for 1 1/2 hours to get the toothpick to come out clean but read elsewhere that flourless cakes can be taken out when the middle is still a bit jiggly otherwise they can be a bit dry. Not sure if that applies to this cake. The cake wasn't overly dry but I will try a bit less time in the oven next time. Cool cake in the tin, then remove, cover and refrigerate until needed. They can all be frozen at his stage if you are planning ahead. Cool, wrap in baking paper then cling film and freeze flat (on a tray is good). Defrost over night .
Meringue Icing
1 1/4 cups berry sugar
1/3 cup water
6 egg whites
500 grams (1 lb) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, and slowly bring to the boil without stirring. You can swirl the pan slightly, but stirring it can cause sugar crystals to form, which you don’t want. Wash down any sugar crystals from the inside of the pan with a wet pastry brush. When the sugar is completely dissolved, increase the heat and bring to the boil. Boil until soft ball stage on a sugar (candy) thermometer (116 C/240 F). If you don’t happen to have a sugar thermometer, simply drop a little syrup into a glass of cold water, and if it forms a soft sugary ball you’re good to go.
Beat the egg whites with a electric hand mixer in a large bowl until firm peaks form. Continue beating and pour in the sugar syrup in a steady stream into the egg whites. Beat for 3 minutes or until the mixture stops steaming.
Continue beating and add the butter, a few cubes at a time, until it's all incorporated. Beat for a further 15 minutes (the mixture will look curdled at first), then use a metal spoon to mix in the vanilla. Keep in a cool place (not in the fridge) until needed.
To ice I turned the cake upside down on the serving plate as the bottom of the cake is flatter. For the 9 inch cake the above amount of icing was too much. I would try 2/3 of the recipe next time.
Garden flowers made a pleasing finish to the cake.
