Tasty and Easy Recipes

Ingredients:
Cake:
7 egg whites
230g (8 ounces) sugar
250g (9 ounces) dark chocolate
200g (7 ounces) almonds, roasted
100g (about 3 ounces) dates

Mousse:
550ml (19 fluid ounces) cream or pareve cream
225g (8 ounces) dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Method:
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and flour a 26cm (10″) springform tin.
Roughly chop the chocolate, almonds, and dates into bite-sized pieces.Whisk the whites until soft peaks form, then gradually add sugar. Fold in the chocolate/nut/date mixture and pour into tin. Cook 45 minutes until top is golden brown. Let cool in tin.
When cool, run knife around edge of cake and remove from tin. Put cake on to a flat serving plate. Encircle with one or two strips of parchment or non-stick baking paper.
Cut the paper about 2-1/2cm (1″) higher than the cake and long enough to wrap around the circumference. Replace ring of springform tin around papered sides and secure; this will hold mousse in place.

Make Mousse and Assembly:
Melt chocolate with 175ml (6 fluid ounces) of the cream in a double boiler, stirring occasionally. Cool.Whip remaining cream until beater marks are just visible. Fold chocolate/cream mixture in, and pour on cake, smoothing surface. Refrigerate overnight. Remove cake from pan, remove paper and smooth sides with a knife. Decorate with grated chocolate.

Ingredients:
7 eggs, separated
7 ounces Castor sugar
7 ounces baking chocolate

Method:
Beat egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy. Melt chocolate, cool slightly and add to this mixture. Fold in beaten egg whites–beat stiff.
Line a Swiss roll tin with baking paper or oil it. Pour in mixture and cook at 180°C/350°F for 25 minutes. Place a wet, squeezed out tea towel over hot cake and leave until cool.
Turn cake on to towel and spread with cream and/or sliced strawberries. Roll carefully, using towel and put onto a long platter. Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Ingredients:
Cake:
6 ounces (180g) semisweet chocolate
3/4 cup (180g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (180g) butter or margarine
6 eggs, separated
2-1/2 cups (180g) toasted hazelnuts, ground (see below)

Decoration:
2 tbsp. apricot glaze (see below)
3-1/2 ounces (100g) semisweet chocolate
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tbsp. water
Hazelnuts, chopped and toasted

Method:
Melt the chocolate and let cool. Beat all but 3 tablespoons sugar with the butter until pale and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolks and chocolate.
In another bowl, whisk the egg whites into soft peaks. Whisk in the reserved sugar. Stir 2 spoonfuls into the main mixture. Gently fold in the nuts and remaining egg whites.
Pour the mixture into the prepared 9″ springform cake pan, which has been greased and lined, and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack and peel off the lining paper.

Make Decoration:
Brush the top of the cake with the apricot glaze and let cool.
Melt the chocolate with the butter and water. Pour onto the cake and spread over the top and sides. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts and let set.

Make Toasted Hazelnuts:
Toast on a baking sheet at 350°F until lightly browned and with flaking skins. Pour the hot nuts onto a cloth. Fold the cloth over them and rub gently to remove the skins. Cool before using, then grind.

Make Apricot Glaze:
Put 1 cup (125g) apricot jam and 3 tbsp. water in a small pan and let stand over gentle heat until the jam has melted. Pour into a sieve over a small bowl and press through with a wooden spoon. Keeps in the refrigerator, in a sterilized screw-top jar, for 2 weeks. Warm it before use. Cake keeps for about a week. Freezes for 1 to 2 months undecorated.