KNR, p. 236 “Almond Cherry Chocolate Torte”
We like chocolate cake and we also like brownies because of the denser consistency. But, if we wanted to have a gluten-free chocolate dessert, neither one of Sheila’s go-to recipes would quite work. Sheila played around with some ingredients for the flavor she wanted, and then we both taste-tested the results.
After we poured the cherry juice over the cherries on top of the chilled torte, the dessert was a lot like a mousse in texture. We ate it with and without the juice, with and without the foam, with and without the ice cream. We taste-tested our way through the entire dessert while the photos were taken. My tummy liked it all.
"Almond Cherry Chocolate Torte"
Author: Sheila Kerrian
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter or margarine (grease cake pan)
- 2 Tablespoons chocolate powder (unsweetened) (dust pan)
- 12 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, broken into sections
- 1/2 cup whipped butter
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons brewed dark roast coffee
- 2 teaspoons pure almond extract
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 5 egg whites
- 3/4 cup fine almond flour
- 4 cups frozen cherries, pitted
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Lightly grease sides and bottom of a springform cake pan with butter or margarine and dust with cocoa powder.
- Place 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate and whipped butter in the top of a double boiler, melt, and whisk together by hand until thoroughly mixed together. Remove from heat.
- Using large bowl, an electric mixer, and whisk attachment, whip egg yolks, 1 cup of the sugar, coffee, 1.5 teaspoons of the almond extract, and sea salt until thick and creamy.
- Add chocolate/butter mixture and continue to mix until blended.
- In a separate bowl and with a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until fluffy, about a minute. Slowly add 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and beat for another two minutes or until peaks form. (Should be stiff enough that a spoonful of the mixture will stay in the spoon when held upside down)
- Fold the almond flour into the egg whites, then carefully fold that mixture into the entire chocolate mix.
- Pour the batter evenly into the cake pan. There may be lots of bubbles in the mixture. If so, gently, but firmly bounce the pan on the counter once or twice to break up most of them.
- Place the pan on a cookie sheet in the middle of the oven and bake until the center puffs and cake edges pull away from the pan, about 40-45 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven, place on cooling rack for 40 minutes. As it cools, the center of the torte will collapse a little, creating a depression in which to put the cherries later.
- Place the pan on a flat cake plate/stand and remove the sides.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
- Place cherries, water, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar into a sauce pan and heat on medium heat until sugar melts – about two minutes. Stir.
- Place cherries and the resulting juice in a covered container in the refrigerator to soak and chill for two hours.
- When chilled, strain the cherries and save the juice.
- Spread the cherries evenly in the depression on the top of the torte.
- Lovely with ice cream and the cherry juice poured on top.
Cherry Foam:
If you’d like to make the foam shown in the photo below, use the electric mixer and the whisk attachment. Whisk the well-chilled cherry juice until foamy, about two minutes. This only works while the juice is cold, so work quickly. Skim off the foam, about two tablespoons for each slice, and use as a light flavorful topping to the dessert. Or just pour the juice on top of the cherries. The flavor will be the same.
Enjoy! 🙂
Photos: by Patti Phillips
KNR, p. 96 “Chocolaty Chocolate Banana Muffins”
Sheila tried out a new muffin recipe. I thought she was making cupcakes for dessert because of the mouth-watering chocolate smell in the air, but she said that these were going to be for breakfast instead. There’s less sugar than a cupcake, and they have fruit in them, so that qualifies as a breakfast treat. Works either way for me!
Kerrian's Notebook, p. 96 "Chocolaty Chocolate Banana Muffins"
Author: Sheila Kerrian
Recipe type: Breakfast
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 jumbo egg (or 2 large eggs)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup stone ground whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup all-purpose unbleached King Arthur flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup Ghirardelli cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375.
- Set standing mixer at slowest speed.
- Cream oil and sugar.
- Add egg(s) and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- Add flours, baking powder, and baking soda a little at a time and beat until smooth.
- Add cocoa powder and salt and beat until smooth.
- Add bananas and mix thoroughly.
- Add chocolate chips and stir until blended.
- Divide mix evenly among greased, floured muffin tins (or use baking cup papers)
- Bake 20-25 minutes in center of oven or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
*Photo by Patti Phillips
KNR, p. 204 “Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins”
Sheila tried out a new muffin recipe. And the muffins have PUMPKIN in them. Big smiles here. She said that these were for breakfast, but since I was hanging around for taste-testing duty, I had the first one for an afternoon snack. She made some with chocolate chips and without, and both types were great. Chocolate and pumpkin, though? Perfect together!
In case you were wondering? No bodies anywhere in the kitchen or dining room. I checked before I left. 😉
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Author: Sheila Kerrian
Recipe type: snack
Cuisine: American
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 jumbo muffins
Ingredients
- Topping
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons pecans, chopped and ground
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Muffins
- 1/3 cup sunflower seed oil (or other nut oil)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose unbleached King Arthur flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/4 cups organic canned pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mix topping ingredients together and set aside.
- Pre-heat oven to 375. Standing mixer - slowest speed. Do not overbeat at any step.
- Cream oil and sugar.
- Add eggs and vanilla and beat until just mixed.
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, a little at a time and mix until evenly moistened.
- Add pumpkin puree and mix until just blended.
- Add chocolate chips and stir with large spoon until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Divide mix evenly among 6 extra large greased, floured muffin tins (or use jumbo baking cup papers)
- Divide topping equally and sprinkle on top of the muffins, about 2 teaspoons each.
- Bake 20-25 minutes in center of oven - until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, muffins are springy to the touch, and lightly golden brown.
Let rest on cooling rack for five minutes, then enjoy! 🙂