BBC - Radio 4 Woman's Hour -Passover Cooking: Chocolate Macaroon Cake

Chocolate Macaroon Cake

Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 10
Pesach dessert, Parev, Will freeze

Chocolate and almonds are very popular ingredients for Pesach - in fact this cake is made up from store cupboard ingredients. It's quick to prepare and is ideal for either a tea or a dessert served with ice cream.

Ingredients
200g sliced almonds - toasted
150g almond macaroons or other Pesach biscuits
100g Plain dark chocolate
1 teaspoon almond essence
200g Margarine
180g Caster sugar
5 eggs - separated
2 tablespoons caster sugar
150g Cake Meal

For Garnish
Icing sugar
Raspberries
Mint leaves

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/ Gas mark 4
Line a loose-bottom cake tin with parchment paper greased with margarine and cake meal. Shake out any excess cake meal.
Put the macaroons in a food process and whiz together to form crumbs. Reserve 3 tablespoons and set aside for the topping.
Melt the chocolate with 1 tablespoon water in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
Cream the margarine with the caster sugar and almond essence. Add the yolks one at a time followed by the cake meal and macaroon crumbs.
Stir in the chocolate and toasted almonds.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Add the 2 tablespoons caster sugar and whisk again.
Fold into the chocolate mixture with one tablespoon of egg whites. Fold in the remaining whites.
Spoon into the prepared cake tin. Sprinkle with the reserved crushed macaroons.

To serve the stylish way
Dust with icing sugar and garnish with raspberries and mint leaves.

Retired? Downsizing? Moving home to be nearer the kids?