Mothering Cake

"During the 1600s, England commemorated a day called Mothering Sunday, as celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent in honour of the mothers of England. Class structures were abandoned on Mothering Sunday and servants would have the day off from their duties. All were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch for the occasion. This flour-less cake recipe is not for novice bakers, and it is rumored to be the current Queen Mother's favorite chocolate cake. Try it out on your Mum this Mother's Day, as she is your Queen for a Day!"
 
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Ready In:
1hr 55mins
Ingredients:
10
Yields:
1 Mothering Cake
Serves:
6-8
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ingredients

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directions

  • Toast almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet in a 350°F degree oven for about 15 minutes or until the almonds are lightly colored and fragrant.
  • Make sure to shake the pan occasionally to turn almonds while toasting.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F.
  • Spray the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
  • Dust lightly with flour or, preferably, very fine, dry breadcrumbs.
  • Shake out any excess and set prepared pan aside.
  • Warm chopped chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over warm water set at moderate heat.
  • Cover until partially melted, and then stir until smooth.
  • Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  • Reserve ½ cup sugar and place the remaining ¼ cup sugar with the almonds in a food processor or blender and chop until nuts are fine and powdery; set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl beat the butter until soft.
  • Add ¼ cup of sugar and reserve the remaining ¼ cup sugar for use later.
  • Beat sugar and butter until thoroughly combined.
  • Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and continue to beat until smooth.
  • Add the melted chocolate and blend on low speed until combined.
  • Add almonds and continue to beat mixture on a low speed setting.
  • In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites with salt and lemon juice.
  • Start on low speed and gradually increase until the egg whites hold a soft shape.
  • Reduce speed again and add remaining ¼ cup sugar.
  • Then on high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
  • Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture about one-third at a time until blended.
  • Pour the cake batter into the prepared spring form pan and quickly rotate to level the batter.
  • Bake for 20-minutes at 375°F, then reduce heat to 350°F and continue to bake an additional 50-minutes.
  • Remove cake from pan when cooled, after about 1 hour.
  • ****ICING****.
  • Scald the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until a thin skin forms on the top.
  • Add the espresso or coffee powder and whisk to dissolve.
  • Add the chocolate and whisk to dissolve, for about a minute or two.
  • Remove from heat and continue to stir to finish melting the chocolate.
  • Let icing cool for about 15 minutes, and then pour over the top of the cake, starting at the center.
  • Gently push the icing with a spatula over the sides to dribble down the cake.
  • Top with shaved chocolate or whipped cream just prior to serving.
  • A fresh strawberry is an optional garnish with each served slice.

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Reviews

  1. This is a fantastic cake. It used to be on the menu at Puck's Ma Maison, decades ago, but it was adapted for him by Maida Heatter back in 1962, and originally appeared in her _Book of Great Desserts_ in 1974.
     
  2. My Mom used to make this one. It is great.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Gavin "Miller" Duncan passed away November 12, 2004 in Laurel, MD from complications of a "broken" heart. The outpouring of support from the Recipezaar community while his health was declining was a huge comfort to him and even "perked him up" a bit in his final month. Miller was a huge asset to Recipezaar, not only due to his incredible collection of recipes, but his participation in the forums. Miller was known for his wonderful low-sodium recipes, his warmth, and last, but not least, his wicked, dry sense of humor. Liza at Recipezaar ********************************************************* No, the picture to the left is not me. It is, in fact, a picture of famous TV Chef Jamie Oliver (a/k/a Thpit Boy)’s grandfather, the late Sir Topaz McWhacker. Note the strong family resemblance, most noticeable in the nose, eyebrows, and general lack of cleanliness Legend has it that Topaz taught Thpit everything that he knows about whacking and about only washing and combing his hair twice a year. . Instead of the trivia that many Recipezaar members have displayed on their “About Me” pages, I thought it might be a tad more helpful if I were to provide some beneficial information that you can put to good practical use either in your own kitchen or when you are watching the antics of some celebrated TV chefs. So, for your enlightenment..... . . Chairman Kaga: When he says “Ion Shff”, he really means “Iron Chef” or, perhaps, “I need a Kleenex” . Chef Paula Deen: When she says “awl”, she really means “oil”. When she says “y’all”, she really means “everyone except m’all”. When she says “bring the water to a bawl”, I have no clue what she means - I thought you could only make a baby “bawl”. And, boys and girls, you can easily Deenize the sentences that you use in your very own kitchen, such as “All y’all can bawl your corn in olive awl or wrap it in aluminum fawl”. . Emeril Lagasse: When he says “confectionery sugar’, he really means “confectioners’ sugar”. When he says “pappa-reeka”, he really means “paprika”. When he says “inside of”, he really means “in”. When he says “a little”, he really means “a lot”. Have you ever tried to count the number of times he says “a little” during any given show? Don’t – it will drive you nuts. When he says “cardamin”, he really means “cardamom”. When he says “my water don’t come seasoned”, what he really means is “I need a new joke writer”. When he says “that www dot food thing”, he really means “I flunked Computerese 101”. . Iron Chef Morimoto: When he says “Foo Netwu”, he really means “Food Network”. . Dessert Dude Jacques Torres: When he says “I going”, he really means “I am going”. (The verb “to be” has apparently been deleted from the French language.) . Spit Boy Jamie Oliver: When he says “whack it in the oven”, he really means “I am into hot, kinky stuff”. When he says “Bob’s yer uncle”, what he really means is “you’d better ask your aunt how well she REALLY knew that mailman named Robert”. When he says “rocket”, he really means “an older weapon being used in Iraq”. When he says “Fewd Netwuk”, he really means “Food Network”. . Numerous chefs: When they say “codfish” and “tunafish”, what they really mean is “cod” and “tuna”, respectively. Please note that they use these terms so that you don’t go out and buy “codanimal” or “tunavegetable” by mistake. Having said that, I have no clue as to why they don’t refer to “troutfish”, “salmonfish”, “red snapperfish”, etc., etc. . Giggly-Wiggly Rachael Ray: When she says “EVOO”, she really means “don’t use BOCO (boring old corn oil)”. When she says “a little lettuce action going on”, she really means “with only 8 minutes left in the game, cabbages are still in the lead, but lettuces are making a strong comeback”. . Two Fat Ladies: When they say “I gwing”, they really mean “I am going” or “Sorry, but we have been watching too many episodes of Jacques Torres’ show”. . Please note that the above is not all-inclusive. If there are other celebrity chef words or phrases that have you stumped, please post an "ISO" message in the discussion forums and I will find the translation for you.
 
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