Ah, November. That in-between month that delves deeper into Autumn, bringing cooler weather and longer days. The time change hit me harder than ever this year - so incredibly disorienting to wake up to cold mornings that slip into hot afternoons into jarringly early evenings, cutting short the daylight. Still, among the horrible fire season and summer weather that seems to drag, there are little signs that tell me the year is nearing it’s close. Hazy purple hues cast over the mountains, tawny gold light filters through the windows in the late afternoon, and my Maine Coon boy, Momo, starts to put on a thick coat of fur. Maybe a hint of fog obscures the kitchen windows at night, or the temperature dips into the 50s. Nonetheless, November snuck up on me.

Today's recipe marks the first chocolate recipe on the blog, along with my first brand collaboration with none other than Nestle Tollhouse! They were kind enough to send me some of their Artisan Collection Semisweet Morsels to create something scrumptious. Just the first of a few chocolatey recipes in the coming months! Okay, on with the post.

As I began brainstorming ideas for this chocolate recipe, I knew I wanted something besides a chocolate chip cookie. Something to really go all out and have the chocolate be at the forefront of the dessert. With semisweet chocolate, you get a super decadent, rich chocolate taste without a lot of bitterness. The type of chocolate you'd want in a cake, soufflé or pudding - where it's all about the chocolate.

So, I landed on an idea for a flourless chocolate cake made with almond flour and ran with it. Flavored with orange zest, topped off with a dreamy chocolate ganache and candied oranges. As I began making the candied oranges, the kitchen filled with the honeyed scent of orange, transporting me into the season of holiday baking, and the day before Thanksgiving. When the house fills with warm cloves, cranberries, apples and orange juice simmering on the stove as a batch of cranberry sauce comes to fruition. Or when we break open a chocolate orange or a tear off a piece of fruity panforte. Adding the orange zest and candied oranges made this dessert especially comforting.

I'm usually a little hesitant to bake cakes. I've got a handful of them nailed down, but I just don't bake as often as I cook, and I tend to go for pies and cookies more often than cakes. However, I am very satisfied with the way this cake turned out. As the original recipe points out, it is a very forgiving cake. It is not the type of recipe to implode if you don't measure everything exactly. Just the type of recipe I love! Even after heavily tweaking the measurements and adding in my own flavorings, the cake was moist and tender. Hmmm, dangerous to have such a decadent chocolate cake in my collection.

*This post is not sponsored. Special thanks to Nestle Tollhouse for sending me their Semisweet Chocolate Morsels from their Artisan Collection, and tasking me with creating something scrumptious with their baking chips! The official collab is over on Instagram. You can keep up with me and an amazing group of small food bloggers by following #tollhousetribe. Over the next few months, our talented little group gets to create some awesome chocolatey treats. Thanks so much for your support!

Chocolate Almond Orange Cake

*I started with this recipe for Torta Caprese from Food52 as a jumping off point and tweaked it for this post.

ingredients

For the Cake

• 4 oz semisweet chocolate morsels

• A little less than 1 1/4 cup almond flour

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 3 eggs, separated

• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

• zest of 1 orange

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

  For the Ganache

• 4 oz semisweet chocolate morsels

• 1/4 cup heavy cream

For the Candied Oranges (optional)

• 1 orange, thinly sliced

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup water

Method

For the Candied Oranges (optional)

1. In a large, deep saucepan, bring the water and sugar to medium heat until bubbly but not boiling. Add the orange slices, turning every few minutes for 15 minutes until slightly translucent. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Remove the orange slices from the simple syrup and transfer to parchment paper to set. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

For the Cake and Ganache

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Prepare an 8x2 round cake pan by greasing and lining with parchment paper. (For a cleaner and simpler remove, I like to use a springform pan and prep with a light layer of cooking spray)

2. Set up a bain marie (small pot of water simmering over medium-low heat), and place the semisweet chocolate into a heat proof bowl over the top of the pot (a double boiler), stirring frequently. Once the chocolate is melted, add the butter and stir until combined

3. Remove from heat and add the almond flour and sugar. When the batter is cool, add the egg yolks, then stir in the almond extract, orange zest and salt.

4. Meanwhile, whip the egg whites until light and fluffy. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate batter, just until combined.

   Transfer to the cake pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, until tender and moist. Let cool for at least 20 minutes, then remove from pan.

5. While the cake cools, prepare the chocolate ganache. Set up another double boiler over medium-low heat. Add the chocolate and heavy cream, stirring until the chocolate melts into the cream and the ganache is luscious and shiny. Pour over the cooled chocolate almond cake and enjoy!