So, I’m trying to explore the many wonderful Dutch treats on show at this time of the year. Sinterklaas (Saint Nicolas) just came and went and my lazy bum just wasn’t ready with a good looking + delicious dessert. Now you get these amazing moist bitter almond cookies here. You could buy them at your store if you can find them. If you can’t… all the more cooler! Because we are going to make them today. And then, we’re going to soak them in amaretto, generously! And then, we’re going to drench them in chocolate!
Salivating yet? Running over to Holland? I would, because this cake is that good… So good that my baby girl couldn’t stop eating it! I mean what better compliment right? Especially from someone as brutally honest as a kid that age. I mean I believe her when she says it tastes sooooo good! I believe her because this past weekend she looked at me suddenly and said, “mama your body looks like you are 20 but your face…” I’m bracing myself with what might come next. “What about my face, excuse me?” I ask. “Well, your face looks like you are 30.” Now as delusional as I might be about myself (:)) and as young as I feel, when a 40+ girl hears she looks like 30, I think she should take it!!!! And that stuff about my body looking like 20…oh yes, I’m floating on cloud nine today with cake in hand, which is weighing me down a bit because its a heavy cake. What with all the soaking and the drenching! 🙂
Its a perfect cake for Christmas too because of its wonderful textures and its beautiful flavors, the bitter, the sweet and the ever so slight boozy-ness of it.
- For the Bitter Almond Cookies
- 225 grams skinned almonds
- 225 grams confectioners sugar
- 3 egg whites
- 1½ tbsps bitter almond extract
- To make the cookies, first preheat oven to 190°C/375°F.
- Grind the almonds with the sugar and the egg white until nice and smooth. Add the almond extract.
- Spoon the batter into a piping bag with plain nozzle. Pipe out in dollops a lined baked tray. Press the peak to flatten with a wet finger.
- Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely.
- For the Cake
- 250 grams bitter almond cookies, broken into pieces (recipe see above)
- 175 ml amaretto
- 250 grams self rising flour
- 200 grams dark chocolate (I used 70%)
- 250 grams butter at room temperature
- 200 grams light brown sugar
- 5 eggs
- Preheat oven to 175°C/345°F. Prepare a bundt baking form with butter and flour and set aside.
- Place the bitter almond cookies in a bowl and pour the amaretto and let soak for 10 minutes.
- Break the chocolate roughly and grind it in a kitchen machine. Add the amaretto soaked cookies and process till mixed, around 10-15 seconds.
- In a separate bowl whip the sugar with the butter till it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one, making sure to mix well before adding the next egg.
- Sieve the self rising flour over the egg, butter and sugar mixture and fold in lightly. Next pour in the bitter almond-chocolate mix in and fold in quickly.
- Pour the prepared cake mix into the bundt form and place in the middle of the oven. Bake for an hour. The first 30 minutes place silver foil on top of the baking form. Remove foil and bake further for another 30 minutes or till a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out dry.
- Let the cake cool in the form for 10 minutes before inverting on a cake stand or plate. Let the cake cool for another hour or so. Dust with some powdered sugar and serve.
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What a spectacularly beautiful cake. Simple, yet elegant. I must try this cake – perfect for the holidays.
Hi Mary, thank you for stopping by! Yes this cake really is so simple and the flavors are what the holidays are made of… let me know if you try it out!
Love this!
<3
Emory
helloscarlettblog.com
Hi Emory, thank you so much!! and thank you for coming by… <3
This is so beautiful. The photography of this one is really lovely.
Thank you so much! <3
I am SO craving a thick slice of that cake right now, it looks incredible!
Hey Thalia! Thank you so much for the compliment and thanks for dropping by! Love your blog btw. <3
Are the bitter almond cookies any good on their own?
Yes they are! These are not crumbly cookies but moist and slightly chewy. They are quite delicious on their own…
Great, thanks! My dad’s been having some high cholesterol issues so I think these will be perfect for him!