Torta di arance e cioccolata
Orange and chocolate cake

Prep time: 30 min | Total time: 3 hour | Servings: 10

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized organic oranges (thin rind is better)
• 150g (1 cup) ground almonds
• 150g (³/₄ cup) sugar
• 40g (¹/₃ cup) all-pourpose flour
• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon natural baking powder.
• 150 g/5 oz dark chocolate

Directions

• Wash the oranges and place them in a high-sided pot.
• Fill the pot with cold water and cook them on a moderate heat for 2 hours, or with a pressure cooker for 30 minutes, until they are very soft.
• Let the oranges cool in the cooking water.
• Remove the oranges from the water, slice them with the rind on, getting rid of any seeds.
• Liquidize the orange slices with a blender until you get a smooth paste. 
• Preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F.
• Separate the egg yolks from the whites.
• Beat the eggs yolks with the sugar.
• Add the ground almonds, the oranges and the flour. Work until you get a smooth mixture.
• Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and then fold them into the rest very gently.
• Add the natural baking powder and work in gently.
• Pour the mixture into a lined cake tin (buttered and breadcrumbed) and bake in the oven for 1 hour.
• Take the cake out the tin and let it rest for a few hours, if possible. 
• Cut the chocolate into small pieces and let it melt in a small saucepan in a double boiler. 
• Pour the melted chocolate on the center of the cake and spread it out quickly over the entire surface. 
• Let the frosting harden before you serve.