Almond, Chocolate and Date Torte Recipe

Chunks of date, chocolate and almond are bound together by a delicate meringue in this rich torte. The torte is topped with a generous layer of whipped cream and sprinkled with grated chocolate. We bake the torte 8-24 hours in advance, and then top it with cream a few hours before serving so that the cream softens the torte slightly.

The almonds in this recipe are roasted and cooled before being chopped. We roast the almonds first, and then measure and prepare the other ingredients while the almonds are cooling. The almonds and chocolate can be quickly and easily chopped in a food processor, but they can also be chopped very finely by hand.

You will need to separate four eggs for this recipe; information on separating eggs can be found here.

Serves 8.

170g (1 cup) almond kernels
170g (1 cup) pitted dried dates
170g good-quality milk or dark chocolate (use whichever type you prefer)
4 large egg whites (we use eggs with a minimum weight of 59g)
112g (1/2 cup) caster sugar

Topping
300ml cream (we use thickened cream that contains about 35 percent fat)
2 teaspoons caster sugar
Grated chocolate, to sprinkle on top of torte

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (160 degrees Celsius fan-forced).

Grease a 20cm diameter round cake pan that is at least 5cm deep. We use a springform pan for easy removal of the torte. Line the base and side of the pan with baking paper.

Place almonds in a single layer on a baking tray and bake for seven minutes. Remove from oven and set aside until almonds have cooled to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Alternatively, transfer almonds to a plate or bowl and place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Rinse and drain dates. Dry dates well to avoid making the torte too wet (we lightly press the dates between paper towels). Finely chop dates and place in a medium bowl. We use commercially pitted dates, which sometimes contain seeds. Chopping the dates by hand, rather than using a food processor, allows us to find and remove any seeds.

Break or chop chocolate into small squares. Process in the food processor on high speed until the chocolate is a mixture of small chunks and grainy powder (about 10 seconds). Add chocolate to the bowl with the dates.

Process the cooled almonds in the food processor on high speed until the texture is similar to that of the chocolate (about 10 seconds). Add almonds to the bowl with the dates and chocolate.

Stir the dates, chocolate and almonds together until well combined. Separate any clusters of date pieces.

Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl and beat with an electric mixer or electric hand-held beaters on high speed until the egg whites just hold a peak when the beaters are raised.

To the egg whites, add about one third of the sugar at a time, beating for 30-40 seconds between each addition. After the last addition, continue beating for 30-40 seconds, or until the mixture is thick and glossy.

Sprinkle the date mixture over the egg white mixture. Using a spoon or spatula, gently fold the ingredients together until just combined. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake torte for 45-50 minutes, until the outside is browned, crisp and dry. The inside of the torte will still be moist.

Remove torte from oven, cover pan with greaseproof paper or a clean tea towel, and set aside to cool to room temperature. Once the torte has completely cooled, remove it from the pan and store in an airtight container (in the refrigerator or at room temperature).

A few hours before serving the torte, place cream and sugar in a large bowl. Whip with an electric mixer or electric hand-held beaters until thick. Spread whipped cream over torte and sprinkle with grated chocolate. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until required. Cut into wedges to serve. © www.exclusivelyfood.com.au