Baked Chocolate and Nut Cake

Name: Baked Chocolate and Nut Cake
Yield: Serves 16
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 15 g (½ oz) ground almonds; finely grated zest of 1 lemon; 140 g (5 oz) caster sugar; 175 g (6¼) chopped roasted walnuts; a pinch of salt; a few drops of lemon juice; 7 egg whites; ½ tsp instant coffee, made to a paste with a little water; ½ tsp instant coffee, made to a paste with a little water; 85 g (3 oz) caster sugar; ½ tsp instant coffee, made to a paste with a little water; 75 g (2¾ oz) butter; 4 eggs; 225 g (8 oz) dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids); 225 g (8 oz) dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids); icing sugar, to dust

Preparation info

Serves
16

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

World's Best Cakes

By Roger Pizey

Published 2013

About

I have included this cake because it is a great combination of a crunchy meringue-based cake with a soft sponge layer of chocolate; such cakes are popular in Italy. Meringues have been a staple of cakes and desserts for many years, as they require only the simplest of ingredients - egg whites.

Ingredients

For the meringue base

7 egg whites
a pinch of salt
a few drops

Europe
Italy
Dessert
Mediterranean
Cake
Gluten-free
Vegetarian

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3, and grease a 23cm (9in) square cake tin.
Beat the egg whites with the salt until they begin to form soft peaks. Slowly add a few drops of lemon juice and half the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.