Chocolate Olive Oil Torte with Cardamom, Pears & Almonds
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cooling Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: Baking
Description
A divine, fudgy torte that is best served with a dollop of vanilla-infused mascarpone or fresh cream.
Ingredients
250 g good quality dark chocolate
⅔ C (160 ml) delicate intensity extra virgin olive oil
175 g castor sugar
200 g ground almonds
100 g flour
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) salt
½ tsp (2.5 ml) ground cardamom
3 pears, thinly sliced (you can leave the top intact and fan slice)
50 g raw almonds, chopped
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180 ºC.
Line the bottom of a 22 cm springform cake tin with baking paper. Grease the pan lightly with olive oil.
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler or alternatively in the microwave.
In a separate bowl mix the olive oil, castor sugar, ground almonds, flour, egg yolks, vanilla extract, salt and cardamom together. Stir well to combine.
Once the chocolate has melted add it to the almond mixture and mix to combine.
Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites into the almond mixture until completely incorporated.
Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
Arrange the sliced pears on top and sprinkle with the chopped almonds. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean.
Allow to cool before serving. Serve with a scoop of vanilla-infused mascarpone or fresh cream if desired.
Notes
If melting the chocolate in the microwave, use the defrost function to slowly melt it. The heat on the regular setting might be too intense and can cause the chocolate to burn.
