Learn How To Make Chocolate Torte with Olive Oil, Almonds and Sea Salt

 Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup (70 grams) whole almonds (or 70 grams almond flour/meal)
  • 3 tablespoons (25 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 6 ounces (170 grams) bittersweet 70% chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup (110 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Medium bright-skinned orange, preferably organic and unsprayed
  • ¾ cup (150 grams) sugar, divided
  • 4 large eggs, evenly separated at about room temperature
  • 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • A small amount of flakey sea salt such as fleur de sel
  • Olive Oil, for flavoring and small amounts of drizzling

SERVES: 12

Directions: 

  1. First, preheat oven to approximately 375°F. Grease only the bottom of an 8x3 inch spring form or pan with a removable bottom.
  2. If you will be using whole almonds, we suggest that you pulse them in a food processor with the all-purpose flour until the almonds are finely ground. If that’s not the case, simply whisk the almond flour and all-purpose flour together and set them aside.
  3. Next, put the chocolate, Olive Oil, and salt in a big stainless steel bowl in a wide skillet of almost simmering water. Stir continuously until the chocolate is almost completely melted. Now, remove the bowl from the skillet and gently stir until the chocolate is thoroughly melted and smooth. With a fine microplane zester, grate a small amount over half of the orange skin directly into the bowl. (Reserve the orange for topping the cake). Follow that by whisking the egg yolks and 1/2 cup (100 grams) of the sugar. Then set aside.
  4. In a pure clean dry bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at an average speed until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Slowly sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat at high speed (or medium-high speed in a heavy-duty mixer) until the egg whites are stiff but not dry. Use a big rubber spatula to fold one quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Scrape the remaining egg whites into the bowl and pour the almond mixture on top. Fold—just until the egg whites and almonds are evenly incorporated into the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and level the top. Try to bake until the toothpick inserted in the middle of the torte comes out with moist crumbs, (on average about 25 to 30 minutes). Set the pan on a rack to help cool it down.
  5. To easily serve, slide a slim knife around the inside of the pan to give the cake some slack. Remove the pan sides and transfer the cake to a platter. Sprinkle the top of the torte with a tiny amount of flakey salt—pinching the salt to crush the largest pieces if necessary—and top with some fine threads of orange zest created with a 5-hole zester and the skin remaining on the orange. For an extra flare to the torte, serve each slice with a little drizzle of Olive Oil.
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