Cracker Queen’s Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cake
8 oz unsalted butter
8 oz sugar
8 eggs, whole
8 oz macadamia nuts
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
!/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup heavy cream whipped to soft peaks
cocoa
Glaze
8 oz chocolate, chopped in small chunks
½ cup cream
1 Tb butter room temp
Preheat Oven 325 F
Toast the macadamia nuts for 10 to 15 minutes, stir a few times, until they are lightly colored. Cool.
Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 springform pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper Butter the paper.
Place the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over warm water on moderate heat. stir until just melted and smooth set it aside cool until the chocolate is room temperature.
In a food processor Place the macadamia nuts and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a food processor pulse until the nuts are very fine, like flour. Set aside .
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add 1/2 cup of the sugar and beat to mix. Separate the eggs. Add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating until smooth. Slowly add the chocolate and beat until mixed. Then, add the macadamia nuts just mix until incorporated.
Beat the egg whites with salt in a large bowl until they hold a soft peak then gradually add the remaining 1/2cp of sugar beat until the peaks hold their own but not dry and too stiff
Fold a large spoonful of the whites into the chocolate mixture until well incorporated. In 2 more additions fold the remaining whites into the mixture being very gentle but mix throughly. Bake for 45 – 50 mins. Do not overbake the centre may crack but should remain soft in the centre.
Cool. Remove from the pan place on a serving platter
The sides are going to be higher than the Centre. Serve with a mound of heavy cream whipped to soft peak stage spooned into the centre of the cake dust with cocoa. Or finish with the chocolate glaze as follows. If you are going to glaze the cake you will need to trim the top of the cake to even it out as the sides will be higher than the centre then invert it on to a serving platter before glazing.
Chocolate Glaze
Heat the cream for the glaze over med. Just until it comes to the boil. Remove from the heat add the chocolate let sit 2 – 3mins to melt chocolate whisk to blend together add the butter once it is smooth and stir to incorporate.Pour over the cake
