Recipe - Mothers Chess Cakes (Christmas)

CAKE INGREDIENTS
1 One half cup Almonds; Skinned
6 ounce SemiSweet Chocolate;
Chopped
Three fourths cup Granulated Sugar
6 ounce Sweet Butter; (Unsalted)
6 lg Eggs; Yolks and Whites
Separated
1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice

ICING INGREDIENTS
One half cup Heavy Cream
2 teaspoon Instant Espresso or Coffee
Powder
8 ounce SemiSweet Chocolate;
Chopped

Makes One 9Inch Cake

During the 1600s, England commemorated a day called Mothering Sunday, as
celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent in honor of the mothers of England.
Class structures were abandoned on Mothering Sunday and servants would have
the day off from their duties. All were encouraged to return home and spend
the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was
often brought along to provide a festive touch for the occasion.

Today's flourless cake recipe is not for novice bakers, as it is rumored
to be the current Queen Mother's favorite chocolate cake. Try it out on
your Mom this Mother's Day, as she is your Queen for a Day!

Toast almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet in a 350F degree oven
for about 15minutes or until the almonds are lightly colored and fragrant.
Make sure to shake the pan occasionally to turn almonds while toasting.

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Spray the bottom of a 9inch spring form
pan with a nonstick cooking spray. Dust lightly with flour or very fine,
dry bread crumbs. Shake out any excess and set prepared pan aside.

Warm chopped chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over warm water
set at moderate heat. Cover until partially melted, then stir until smooth.
Set aside to cool to room temperature. Reserve One half cup sugar and place the
remaining One fourth cup sugar with the almonds in a food processor or blender and
chop until nuts are fine and powdery. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat the butter until soft. Add One fourth cup of sugar and
reserve the remaining One fourth cup sugar for use later. Beat sugar and butter
until thoroughly combined. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and continue
to beat until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and blend on low speed until
combined. Add almonds and continue to beat mixture on a low speed setting.

In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites with salt and lemon
juice. Start on low speed and gradually increase until the egg whites hold
a soft shape. Reduce speed again and add remaining One fourth cup sugar. Then on
high speed, beat egg whites to soft peaks.

Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture about onethird at a
time until blended. Pour the cake batter into the prepared spring form pan
an quickly rotate to level the batter. Bake for 20minutes at 375F
degrees, then reduce heat to 350F degrees and continue to bake an
additional 50minutes. Remove cake from pan when cooled, after about
1hour.

To prepare the icing, scald the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat
until a thin skin forms on the top. Add the espresso or coffee powder and
whisk to dissolve. Add the chocolate and whisk to dissolve, for about a
minute or two. Remove from heat and continue to stir to finish melting the
chocolate. Let icing cool for about 15minutes, then pour over the top of
the cake, starting at the center. Gently push the icing with a spatula over
the sides to dribble down the cake. Top with shaved chocolate, or whipped
cream just prior to serving. A fresh strawberry is an optional garnish with
each served slice.

Posted to dailyrecipe@recipeaday.com by The Cook & Kitchen Staff
dailyrecipeowner@recipeaday.com on May 02, 1998