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Date and ginger chocolate torte

• Edd Kimber

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Serves 10 - 12

A little effort

Prep: 25 mins

Cook: 1 hr and 10 mins

plus chilling and cooling

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This flourless chocolate is as delicious as it is spectacular. To finish, the cake is topped with a spiced whipped custard, chocolate shavings and candied hazelnuts

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Try our date and ginger chocolate torte, then check out our chocolate cheesecake, chocolate molten cake and more chocolate tart recipes.

Every year I try to come up with a dish that I consider worthy of the Christmas dinner table – a centrepiece dessert to bring a bit of celebration and add a bit of sparkle. Made in a similar manner to the Italian flourless chocolate cake torta caprese, it includes ground almonds, which give it more body than some other flourless cakes. The cake is also made with chopped dates and stem ginger for more texture and flavour.

There’s plenty you can make in advance, so there’s little work to do on the big day. The cake and custard (without the whipped cream) can be made a few days in advance and chilled until needed. You can also prep the caramelised hazelnuts and keep them in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.

Date and ginger chocolate torte recipe

Ingredients

Nutrition

• 200g unsalted butter

  diced, plus extra for the tin

• 200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

  finely chopped

• 5 eggs

• 200g caster sugar

• 200g ground almonds

• 65g cocoa powder

• 100g dried dates

  diced

• 2 balls of stem ginger in syrup

  finely diced

WHIPPED SPICED CUSTARD

• 250ml whole milk
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 40g caster sugar
• 25g cornflour
• 2 egg yolks (freeze the whites to use in another recipe)
• 200ml double cream

DECORATION

• 30g caster sugar
• 30g roasted whole hazelnuts
• 50g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

Nutrition: per serving (12)

• kcal666
• fat49g
• saturates24g
• carbs41g
• sugars36g
• fibre4g
• protein12g
• salt0.4g

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Method

• step 1

  First, make the custard. Put the milk, spices and half the sugar in a pan, whisk and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Meanwhile, put the remaining sugar and cornflour in a heatproof bowl, and whisk to combine. Add the yolks and whisk until pale and lump-free. Once the milk mixture is at a simmer, pour it over the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Pour everything back into the pan and whisk over the heat until bubbling and thick. Continue cooking for another minute before scraping the custard into a small container and covering. Chill for at least 4 hrs or up to two days.

• step 2

  Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly butter a 23cm springform cake pan and line the base with baking paper. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir occasionally until fully smooth, then remove.

• step 3

  Put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl, and whisk for 3-4 mins using an electric whisk until thick and pale. Pour in the melted chocolate and stir until thoroughly combined. Add the almonds, cocoa powder, dates, stem ginger and 1/2 tsp of salt, and stir until just smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and level the surface. Bake for 50 mins or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out with moist but not wet crumbs. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

• step 4

  Remove the custard from the fridge and scrape into a large bowl. Beat until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl, whisk the cream to soft peaks. Working in thirds, add the whipped cream to the custard, folding gently to combine. Scrape this over the cooled cake and spread out to cover. Chill until ready to serve.

• step 5

  For the decoration, put the sugar and 1 tbsp of water in a small pan over a medium heat, cooking until the sugar is dissolved and the syrup is bubbling rapidly. Add the hazelnuts and continue to cook, stirring continuously until the syrup thickens and crystallises, coating the nuts in sugar. Continue stirring until the sugar re-melts and becomes a rich caramel colour. Scrape the nuts out onto a baking tray lined with baking paper to cool.

• step 6

  Shave curls of chocolate using a vegetable peeler or melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water as before, and spread it over the back of a baking tray, making the layer as thin as possible. Put the tray in the freezer for 15 mins or until the chocolate has lost its shine but is not fully frozen. Use a bench scraper at a 45-degree angle to shave off as many chocolate curls as possible. Scatter the shavings around the outside of the cake, then finish with the candied hazelnuts.

• step 7

  The cake will keep chilled for up to four days – if chilling for longer than a day, scatter over the hazelnuts just before serving as the caramelised coating can start to melt.

Authors

Edd KimberBaking columnist

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