If you are looking for a show-stopper dessert to celebrate a special event (a graduation, a birthday, a milestone, or, Mother’s day on Sunday), this deliciously rich and dense chocolate raspberry almond torte is one to consider. Fresh, sweet raspberries, toasted almonds and dark chocolate are an amazing combination of flavors and each bite of this dessert tastes as good as it looks.
I first had this dessert many (many) years ago when two friends made it for my first baby shower. Although that was a long time ago, this torte has certainly withstood the test of time, as my family has made it for me on several occasions since then. It has everything I love in a dessert: lots of dark chocolate and fresh berries, and, it is not too sweet, or too tall, or topped with excessive amounts of whipped cream like many other cakes.
The great thing about making a torte instead of a cake is that tortes generally are much easier and faster to assemble. Moreover, they can be made a day in advance. I hope that you will make this delicious dessert for those chocolate lovers in your life! They will love you for that
- ½ cup blanched almonds, toasted lightly
- 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
- 2 TBSP. butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 TBSP. framboise or other raspberry brandy
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 cup raspberries plus additional for garnish
- For the glaze
- ⅓ cup raspberry jam (without seeds)
- 1 TBSP. sugar
- For the ganache
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 6 oz. fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- In a food processor grind the almonds, scraping the bowl occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until they are the consistency of a nut butter, and reserve the mixture.
- In a bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt the chocolate and the butter, stirring occasionally, and remove the bowl from the pan.
- In the large bowl of an electric mixer beat the eggs until they are pale. Add the sugar gradually, and beat the mixture until it is very thick and pale. Next, beat in the chocolate mixture, the framboise, and the reserved almond mixture and beat the mixture until it is well combined. Into the bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, and the salt, beat the mixture until it is thoroughly combined. Fold in 1 cup of the raspberries gently.
- Turn the mixture into a well-buttered 8½” springform pan. With the help of an offset spatula, spread it evenly and smooth the top.
- Bake the torte in the middle of a preheated 350°F oven for about 40-45 minutes. Start checking with a cake tester or a skewer at 30 minutes – if it comes out clean, remove from the oven. Let the torte cool in the pan on a rack and remove the side of the pan.
- For the glaze:
- In a small saucepan combine the jam and the sugar, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often and boil it, stirring again for 3 minutes.
- Invert the torte onto the rack, set over wax paper, remove the bottom of the pan, and spread the glaze on the top and side of the torte. Let the torte stand at room temperature for 2 hours (or chill it for 30 minutes), until the glaze is set. The torte may be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance and kept on the rack, covered with an inverted bowl, at room temperature.
- For the ganache:
- In a small heavy saucepan bring the cream to a boil and remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the chocolate, stirring until the mixture is smooth, and let the ganache cool for 3 minutes.
- Pour the ganache over the torte, smoothing it with an offset spatula and letting the excess drip down the side. Let the torte stand for 1 hour, until the ganache is set. Transfer the torte carefully to a serving plate, garnish it with some of the additional raspberries and serve the remaining raspberries on the side.
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