Amarula Chocolate Torte

Ok, so I made my own birthday cake. Who else was going to do it? My husband's kitchen skills don't stretch to chocolate cakes. Or any cakes. Or anything much besides steak and washing dishes - both of which he does really well, though!! (Don't worry - he'll never read this).
So, buy a cake? Uh, no.
And you know what - it's my party, I can bake if I want to : )

{torte (tôrt, tôrt)          n. 

A rich cake made with many eggs and little flour. Usually containing chopped nuts.
[German. Perhaps from Italian torta, cake, tart, from Late Latin torta, a kind of bread.]}

Amarula Chocolate Torte.
Recipe by Tea, Cake and Create

Preheat oven to 180'C
Grease and line 3x 6in (15cm) pans or 2x 8in pans.

400g dark chocolate discs or dark chocolate cut into small pieces
120ml Amarula
6 eggs separated
80g butter
80g + 1 tbs caster sugar
150g ground almonds
50g cake flour
50g cocoa

Melt the chocolate and Amarula together in a double boiler.
Allow to cool slightly.

Sift the dry ingredients together - flour, cocoa and ground almonds.

Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form. Sprinkle in 1tbs caster sugar, then whip until stiff.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and remaining caster sugar together. Add the egg yolks and beat until light and creamy.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the melted chocolate /Amarula; mix well.
Add the dry ingredients - mix until just incorporated.

Fold in one spoon of the egg whites, then gently fold in the rest.
Continue folding the batter until the whites are no longer visible.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.

Bake at 180'C for 35-40minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out with moist crumbs attached.

Allow to cool in the pans before turning out onto a cooling rack.

ChocolateMousse Icing
Recipe by Tea, Cake and Create

(This recipe produces enough icing to spread between the cake layers and to cover the outside of the cake. Halve the ingredients if you'll be leaving it - the cake! - naked.)

150g butter
2x 250g tubs cream cheese
100g icing sugar, sifted
50g cocoa powder, sifted
2-4 tbs fresh cream or milk
1 tsp vanilla extract.

Beat the butter until soft and creamy, add the sifted icing sugar. Mix well.
Add in the cream cheese. Mix until just combined.
Then add the vanilla and sifted cocoa. Mix until incorporated.
If the icing is too stiff to spread on a cake - add the fresh cream / milk until it is softer.

Spread icing onto the cake once it is completely cool.

Try to keep some cake for the next day - it gets even better with age. As good things should ; )

xxM