During the hot summer months we're not very interested in chocolate. Maybe in ice cream, but other than that the rich, dark flavors feel too much, too heavy. But now? With the weather cooling off, and the holidays around the corner? Chocolate, please. And we have the perfect chocolate recipe for autumn entertaining: an orange, chocolate, and almond cake from Cenk at Cafe Fernando.
Doesn't that look amazing?
The other thing that we find interesting and valuable about this recipe is the fact that Cenk's cake was originally what he called an "Ugly Duckling." It's a typical flourless chocolate cake: a little lumpy, a little cracked. Nothing pretty.
But he made a lacquer chocolate glaze and he shows step-by-step photos of enrobing the cake in this beautiful shiny coating. It makes the cake much prettier — a fabulous centerpiece for a dessert table. Take a look, and get your chocolate fix.
• Get the recipe: L’ORANGE – Orange, Chocolate and Almond Cake Recipe at Cafe Fernando
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(Images: Cafe Fernando)
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just an FYI - it's a "he" not a "she"
perfect, I'm hosting a "girl's night in" in two weeks and our theme is chocolate desserts... I will definitely be making this!!
OMG i am drooling :O'
I want to make it now!
That is gorgeous. I love his photos of the glazing process. :) And yes, since the weather turned cooler, I have been seeking out the richer, chocolate-y desserts lately.
This is a fantastic idea. Almond cake (sometimes with citrus, sometimes without) is one of my favorite recipes, but I rarely serve it to guests because it seems a little... homely. Covering it with a chocolate glaze would be just perfect!
So, I made this cake this afternoon for my "girls night in" dessert party tonight. I even took pictures. It turned out amazing. The cake looked gorgeous! Unfortunately I only have a very old cooling rack and I noticed as I was waiting for the glaze to finish dripping that the middle of my cake was sagging dangerously low through the very wide bars of my rack. I decided to go ahead and move it to my serving platter, even though I knew it was a bit to soon. Bad decision! I should have chanced the cake falling through my rack, because it fell apart into three pieces when I tried to move it still slightly warm :( However, I think I can salvage three pieces for my party tonight and serve them on individual plates instead, so all is not lost! I did get to taste the crumbs this way and it tastes incredible!!