Chocolate, Almond and Cardamom Cake

So daddy Naylor has arrived for one week and after yesterdays failed attempt at cornbread, I figured it's time to try out something sweeter. This mix of chocolate, nuts and spice is perfect for a little slice of decadence and the last time I made this was for a birthday cake.
Before you start to question if the "Cardamom Council" is slipping me a little "sugar sugar" for advocating its use in everything, I am merely just a great fan of its flavour (and smell!). Anyway back to the cake itself, chosen for its minimal use of flour (perfect for substituting with rice flower for the coeliac) and its great taste, the recipe is taken from a dessert cookbook some friends purchased for me as a thankyou for staying with us, and I love how the book is split into seasons (ideal for the seasonal produce available in Spain). It is originally called "cooking desserts" (but I have the spanish translated version) and is well worth getting a copy if you have as sweet a tooth as I do!

Ingredients:

• 250g dark chocolate (broken into pieces)
• 250g butter (cut into pieces)
• 1 tbsp vanilla  extract
• 250ml hot water
• 175g caster sugar
• 3 eggs (room temperature, lightly beaten)
• 165g self-raising flour (I used rice flour and added 1tsp baking powder + 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda)
• 100g ground almonds
• 3tsp ground cardomom
• 30g icing sugar

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC and grease or line a 24cm cake tin (I used a loaf tin after my springform went to heaven)

Put the chocolate, butter, vanilla extract and hot water in a heat proof bowl. Place over a pan of boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Keep over a low heat and stir until melted. Remove from the heat and add to the sugar and mix well. Allow to cool a little and add the eggs and mix well (you will feel the mixture thicken slightly as you add the eggs, but it is important to keep mixing otherwise the eggs will scramble)

 

Mix in the flour, almonds and 2tsp of the ground cardamom and keep mixing until well combined. Tip the mix into your prepared baking tin and bake in the oven for 40 mins (or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in its tin for 10 mins, then remove from the tin and leave to fully cool.

Mix the remaining teaspoon of cardamom with the icing sugar and dust all over (use a sieve to duste then a spoon to sprinkle the remaining ground cardomom in the sieve). Serve with a nice dollop or fresh whipped cream and the best coffee you have!