Amaretto Chocolate Cake With Raspberries - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 None medium eggs
2/3 cups sugar
2 tbsp cold water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
1 1/8 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp gelatin
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1 1/8 cups mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup almond liqueur, such as Amaretto
3/4 lb raspberries
5 1/4 oz dark chocolate
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup almond cookies or ladyfingers

Preparation

Beat the eggs and the sugar together with the water and half of the vanilla extract until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder and the cocoa powder and fold in to the eggs and sugar. Line a cake pan with baking parchment and pour the mixture in, spreading it into the corners. Bake in a preheated oven at 400\u00b0F for 12 - 15 mins. Turn the cake out on to a damp towel, and remove the baking parchment. Allow it to cool, then slice the cake in half horizontally with a long-bladed knife.
For the filling, soak the gelatin in cold water. In a bowl, whip two-thirds of the cream with the remainder of the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk the mascarpone, then carefully fold the two mixtures together. Warm the liqueur and gently dissolve the gelatin into the liquid. When it is fully dissolved, stir in 2-3 tablespoons of the creamy mixture. Pour the liqueur mixture into the cream and mascarpone, folding it in carefully until the liquer is evenly distributed. Fold in the raspberries.
To assemble the cake, use a rectangular baking mold to support the sides of the cake. Take one half of the cake and spread the cream and raspberry filling evenly over the top. Carefully place the second half of the cake on the top and refrigerate for 2 hours. Meanwhile, chop the chocolate into small pieces. Heat the remaining third of the cream in a pan, remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. When this has melted, stir in the butter. Remove the cake from the refrigerator, loosen the baking mold, and spread the chocolate sauce across the top. Meanwhile, put the amaretti cookies or ladyfingers in a freezer bag, and crush with a rolling pin. Sprinkle the cake with the crushed cookies, and cool for a further 30 mins.