Tuesday, September 3

Torta Cioccolata (Italian chocolate almond torte, which just happens to be flour-less and dairy-free)


I love when you're making a dessert that you had no intention of being particularly "healthier" or "lighter", and then you scan the list of ingredients and realize, wow! this isn't actually bad for you at all!

Well this torte is just that.

I only realized it had no butter in it after I finished mixing all the ingredients together and the butter remained untouched on the counter.... did I miss something?! Nope, this recipe is naturally low-fat and dairy-free. Umm, and it's also wheat-free and completely flour-less. 
(Mom, this recipe is totally for you!)

It's made mainly from ground almonds, chocolate and egg whites, so it's actually very high in protein.
Oh and did I mention that it is completely delicious?!
It has a light yet rich, fudgy interior with a crisp shell, and it totally melts in your mouth.

Full disclosure: if you smother it in whipped cream like I did, you definitely make it a little less virtuous!

Read on for the recipe...

Torta Cioccolata
(a wheat-free, dairy-free, flavour-packed pie!)


1 cup raw whole almonds
7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup egg whites (from 7 eggs)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9-inch (preferably springform) pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a food processor, grind the almonds, chocolate, 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt until finely ground (but not completely powdered... you still want some coarse sized pieces of chocolate and almonds).

In a large bowl beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Then add in the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold in the nut mixture using a spatula, bit by bit.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for approximately 45-50 minutes (or until an inserted cake tester comes out mostly clean, save for some melted chocolate).

Allow to cool for 10 minutes in its pan, then invert cake onto a plate, remove parchment paper and then re-invert onto a serving platter. Allow to cool completely, then dust the top with cocoa powder (or icing sugar). 
Enjoy!


2 comments:

Tiffany Kadani said...

Your recipes! It's been a while and I forgot how much I missed them. Always so perfectly delicious.

Fit With Flash said...

I LOVE baking, but almost nothing from my super old cookbook is actually good for you... This recipe sounds amazing! :)