Panforte

Ingredients

• 250g good-quality dark chocolate
• 3 medium egg whites
• 50g candied peel
• 200g ground almonds
• 100g walnuts, crushed
• 50g hazelnuts, crushed
• 200g icing sugar
• 4 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
• For the topping
• 100g good-quality dark chocolate
• 70g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

Method

    Melt the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensuring that the base of the bowl does not touch the water.
    Use a fork to beat the egg whites in a large bowl for 2 minutes. Add in the peel, ground almonds, the nuts, icing sugar and Amaretto. Mix well, then very gently fold in the melted chocolate.
    Line a circular flan dish measuring about 18cm across and 3cm deep with clingfilm. Pour in the mixture and set aside for 2 hours.
    To make the topping, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensuring that the base of the bowl does not touch the water.
    Melt the icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan over a low heat. Stir to check the sugar has melted, then add the chocolate to make a syrup.
    Turn out the cake onto a plate and peel off the clingfilm. Use a spatula to cover the surface with the chocolate syrup. Set aside for 1 hour until the chocolate has hardened.
    Serve in slices, dusted with icing sugar, with a cup of your favourite tea.