Italian Chocolate And Nut Cake (Panforte) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

250 g dark chocolate
3 medium egg whites
50 g candied peel
200 g ground almonds
100 g walnuts, crushed
50 hazelnuts, crushed
200 g icing sugar
4 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
100 g dark chocolate (for topping)
70 g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting (for topping)

Preparation

Melt the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensuring that the base of the bowl does not touch the water
Use a fork to beat the egg whites in a large bowl for 2 minutes. Add in the peel, ground almonds, the nuts, icing sugar and Amaretto. Mix well, then very gently fold in the melted chocolate.
Line a circular flan dish measuring about 18cm across and 3sm deep with clingfilm. Pour in the mixture and set aside for 2 hours.
To make the topping, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensuring that the base of the bowl does not touch the water
Melt the icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan over a low heat. Stir to check the sugar has melted, then add the chocolate to make a syrup.
Turn out the cake onto a plate and peel off the clingfilm. Use a spatula to cover the surface with the chocolate syrup. Set aside for 1 hour until the chocolate has hardened.
Serve in slices, dusted with icing sugar, with a cup of your favourite tea.