Author Notes
Sometime ago I saw a photo of a cake with a cream filling with raspberries and poppy seeds. It looked so good that I started making cream filling with poppy seeds and crushed raspberries to put between layers of cakes. This cake is made with chocolate and ground roasted almonds and both the almonds and the poppy seeds in the cream give it a light crunchiness. I bake the cake in a 9 inch spring form pan so that it is high and I can cut it in 3 layers, but you can bake it in 2 pans and make 4 layers if you like. —Maria Teresa Jorge
Ingredients
- Chocolate and Almond Cake
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7 ounces
70% cocoa chocolate (Valrhona or similar)
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4.5 ounces
butter cut up in small pieces
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2/3 cup
all purpose flour
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2/3 cup
ground roasted natural almonds
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4
eggs at room temperature
-
3/4 cup
fine sugar
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1 pinch
salt
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2 teaspoons
baking powder
- Cream and Ganache
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For the Cream
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1 1/2 cups
whipping cream
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1 cup
fresh raspberries
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2 tablespoons
poppy seeds
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For Chocolate Icing
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6 ounces
70% cocoa chocolate (Valrhona or similar)
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2/3 cup
cream
Directions
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Pre-heat the oven to 325º F. with rack in the middle position.
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Roast non salted natural peeled almonds until light golden brown. Allow to cool completely and then grind them finely. Set aside.
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Butter and flour a 9 inch diameter spring form pan.
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Cut the chocolate and butter in pieces and melt in a pan over a bain-marie. Remove the pan and put it on a cold surface to lower the temperature of the chocolate and butter stirring once in a while.
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In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the whole eggs and the sugar until doubled in size and very fluffy.
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Sift the flour and the salt together and gently fold it in the egg and sugar mixture with the almond meal. Then add the chocolate slowly and fold it in gently.
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Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and the centre is cooked (use a toothpick to check it comes out dry. If needed cover with aluminium foil to cook completely and not over brown.
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Cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then invert on a wire rack.
When completely cold, use a serrated knife to cut in 3 horizontal layers. If the top is very round, cut the top off so the layers are flat.
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Ganache: Cut the chocolate in small pieces to be easier to melt.
Bring the cream to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate pieces, stirring well until the chocolate is melted and ganache is shiny.
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Cream
Whisk the double cream until very stiff.
Lightly crush the raspberries with a fork.
Whisk the poppy seeds in the cream to mix well and then fold in the raspberries, giving just 2 or 3 turns - if you mix too much after adding the raspberries, the cream will turn pink which you don’t want.
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Assemble the cake: Put one disk of cake on a serving plate, cover with half the cream, add another layer of cake and the remaining cream. Add the last layer of cake.
Pour the Chocolate Ganache over the cake, and let it drizzle down the sides.
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Chill until ready to serve.
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