Christmas-Spiced Chocolate Cake
by Nigella. Featured in NIGELLA CHRISTMASIntroduction
I love a fallen chocolate cake, and have found most everyone else does too. The cakes are so called because they are compact and flourless and, when cooling out of the oven, their rich centres drop and dip a little. It is into this dip, not so dramatic as to be called a crater, that you drop or scatter the sticky nut topping. I serve this with Cointreau Cream, made simply by whisking 250ml double cream until softly whipped, whisking in about 45ml of Cointreau (or Triple sec or Grand Marnier, of course) to taste at the end.
Despite the name, this cake is for all-year-round delectation.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
I love a fallen chocolate cake, and have found most everyone else does too. The cakes are so called because they are compact and flourless and, when cooling out of the oven, their rich centres drop and dip a little. It is into this dip, not so dramatic as to be called a crater, that you drop or scatter the sticky nut topping. I serve this with Cointreau Cream, made simply by whisking 250ml double cream until softly whipped, whisking in about 45ml of Cointreau (or Triple sec or Grand Marnier, of course) to taste at the end.
Despite the name, this cake is for all-year-round delectation.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Yields: 10-12 slices
For the Cake
- 150 grams chopped dark chocolate
- 150 grams soft butter
- 6 large eggs
- 250 grams granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100 grams ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch of ground cloves
- zest of 1 clementine (or satsuma)
- 4 teaspoons instant espresso powder
For the Topping
- juice of 1 clementine (or satsuma)
- 15 grams butter
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 50 grams flaked almonds
For the Cake
- ¾ cup chopped bittersweet chocolate
- 11 tablespoons soft butter
- 6 large eggs
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch of ground cloves
- zest of 1 clementine (or satsuma)
- 4 teaspoons instant espresso powder
For the Topping
- juice of 1 clementine (or satsuma)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Method
- Take anything you need out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature. The only truly important thing, however, is that the eggs aren’t cold, so if they are, just put them into a bowl (I use the KitchenAid bowl I’m going to whisk them in later) and cover with warm water for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350ºF. Butter the sides and line the bottom of a 23cm / 9 inch springform tin.
- Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl, in a microwave according to the manufacturer’s instructions, or suspended over a pan of simmering water, and set aside to cool slightly.
- Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together until thick, pale and moussy. They should have at least doubled in volume, even tripled. If you’re using a freestanding mixer, as I do, this is effortless.
- Gently fold in the ground almonds, cinnamon, cloves, clementine/satsuma zest and espresso powder, taking care not to lose the air you have whisked in, then, finally, pour and scrape in the melted, slightly cooled, chocolate and butter, folding gently again.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes, by which time the top of the cake should be firm, and the underneath still a bit gooey.
- Remove from the oven, and sit it on a wire rack, draped with a clean tea towel, to cool completely.
- To make the topping for the cake, put the clementine/satsuma juice into a small, preferably non-stick, frying pan with the butter, sugar and cinnamon and melt everything together, then let it sizzle for a minute or so and begin to caramelize before adding the almonds.
- Stir everything together, and occasionally tip the pan to keep it all moving; what you want is for all the liquid to disappear and the nuts to look shiny and be coated thinly in a fragrant, orange-scented toffee.
- Remove to a plate and cool.
- Unspring the cake and transfer to a cake stand or plate; I am brave enough to take it off its base sometimes, but don’t if you’re scared. Remember this cake, however intense and elegant within, has a rather ramshackle rustic appearance on the outside.
- Scatter with the almonds, mainly letting them pile up in the centre of the cake, but drop a few here and there all over the top. And serve with the cointreau cream.
- Take anything you need out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature. The only truly important thing, however, is that the eggs aren’t cold, so if they are, just put them into a bowl (I use the KitchenAid bowl I’m going to whisk them in later) and cover with warm water for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/gas mark 4/350ºF. Butter the sides and line the bottom of a 23cm / 9 inch springform tin.
- Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl, in a microwave according to the manufacturer’s instructions, or suspended over a pan of simmering water, and set aside to cool slightly.
- Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla together until thick, pale and moussy. They should have at least doubled in volume, even tripled. If you’re using a freestanding mixer, as I do, this is effortless.
- Gently fold in the almond meal, cinnamon, cloves, clementine/satsuma zest and espresso powder, taking care not to lose the air you have whisked in, then, finally, pour and scrape in the melted, slightly cooled, chocolate and butter, folding gently again.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes, by which time the top of the cake should be firm, and the underneath still a bit gooey.
- Remove from the oven, and sit it on a wire rack, draped with a clean tea towel, to cool completely.
- To make the topping for the cake, put the clementine/satsuma juice into a small, preferably non-stick, frying pan with the butter, sugar and cinnamon and melt everything together, then let it sizzle for a minute or so and begin to caramelize before adding the almonds.
- Stir everything together, and occasionally tip the pan to keep it all moving; what you want is for all the liquid to disappear and the nuts to look shiny and be coated thinly in a fragrant, orange-scented toffee.
- Remove to a plate and cool.
- Unspring the cake and transfer to a cake stand or plate; I am brave enough to take it off its base sometimes, but don’t if you’re scared. Remember this cake, however intense and elegant within, has a rather ramshackle rustic appearance on the outside.
- Scatter with the almonds, mainly letting them pile up in the centre of the cake, but drop a few here and there all over the top. And serve with the cointreau cream.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD:
Make the chocolate cake up to 3 days ahead and store in an airtight container. Make the nut mixture and store, on baking parchment, in small airtight container or wrap in a loose “bag” of foil.
FREEZE AHEAD:
Make and freeze the chocolate cake up to 1 month ahead. Thaw overnight in a cool room.
MAKE AHEAD:
Make the chocolate cake up to 3 days ahead and store in an airtight container. Make the nut mixture and store, on baking parchment, in small airtight container or wrap in a loose “bag” of foil.
FREEZE AHEAD:
Make and freeze the chocolate cake up to 1 month ahead. Thaw overnight in a cool room.
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Show more commentsI love flourless cakes, and this one is one of the very best. The combo of the chocolate, spices, orange and espresso make it taste like the “Mexican mochas” that American coffee shops sell. So, while this cake is very festive, and works well at Christmas, it is just as good as a dessert after Mexican flavors. I recently served it after the Tequila and Lime Chicken (from “Simply”), and it was a resounding success!
What a wonderful cake I made it with extra nuts on the top including Cashews, Pecans, Brazil and hazelnuts as well as whole almonds and served with some Bailey's Irish cream whiskey cream and it was fantastic! Enjoy!
Such an easy cake to make yet looks and tastes fantastic I made extra flaked almonds for the topping making it even more decadent than it is (if it's at all possible! Wonderful!
I’ve just baked this. Was a little nervous as after 40 mins it was still too gooey so baked for another 10 mins. Perfect. So moist, Christmassy, warm & delicious. The chocolate orange combo is so good. A mix of fabulous ingredients. XXX
Please make this. I whipped the eggs by hand, reduced the sugar in the cake by 100g, used 5 eggs but didn’t alter anything else except baked in a 7inch springform for 45 mins as that’s all I had. It is divine in every way. The spices are extremely subtle and I am very heavy handed so do not be wary!
I made this for a club social evening and used a Terry's dark chocolate orange for the chocolate element - added oranginess! I also melted the butter and chocolate then mixed in the spices, orange zest and vanilla to the warm mixture and left them all to release their flavours before adding to the egg mixture.
Brilliant recipe Nigella. I live a ketogenic lifestyle and substituted the sugar for erythritol/monk fruit blend. Its fabulous and what's even better I can have my cake and eat it. Love it!
Chocolate and almonds and Cointreau cream, oh my!
My friend made this for our get together and it was so lovely! I told her she should definitely use it as her “go-to” recipe from now on as it was such a nice twist on a classic and reliable chocolate pudding! Can’t wait to try and make this myself.
I have just made this cake and think it's lovely. I did somethings different. I used Natvia, a sugar substitute instead of sugar as I am doing low-carb eating and since I had no clementines I used an orange instead. I added a teaspoon of baking powder and the cake didn't sink in the middle at all and is lovely and light and fluffy. A good result, thanks Nigella.
Made this cake for a birthday. Really delicious. Instead of whipped cream I served it with hot vanilla sauce and added small cocos macarons to the almond flake topping. For sure one of my davourite chocolate cake recipes for winter season. ;-)
Fabulous cake! I loved it, more if I think that it has no gluten in it. I did it with 70% chocolate, but changed the frosting. Instead of the almond mix, I mixed mascarpone with hazelnut liquor, and used this cream as a frosting. Delicious! Will do it again.