How To Make Claire Thomson’s Dark Chocolate, Pistachio And Dried Cherry Torte

For pudding or afternoon tea – or both?

Posted on

7 April 2019

Posted by

Tory

All Credits: PA

“Dried cherries are one of my favourite dried fruits; sour, sweet and wilfully chewy, their inclusion here along with pistachios, cardamon and chocolate is spot on,” says chef and food writer, Claire Thomson.

“What makes this cake especially clever is how the cake batter behaves as it bakes. On the bottom, you get a good crunchy base, and the remaining half of the base is then mixed through with the sour cream and egg to bake as a soft and cake-y top, all studded with nuts, cherries and chocolate. Serve with crème fraîche or sour cream.”

View this post on Instagram

Happy World Book Day!! Loving all the kids outfits. Want to do a shout out to all the amazing AUTHORS/WRITERS who work their socks off to inspire our children, and to this gorgeous Mum of 3 @5oclockapron who concocts yummy recipes for them to eat! Her book ‘New Kitchen Basics’ is out today! #worldbookday #authors #kidsrecipes #familyfood #clairethomson #mumsarethebest #mothersretreat #bristolmum #retreatyourself

A post shared by Retreats 4 Mums-to-be and Mums (@retreat_yourself) on Mar 7, 2019 at 5:30am PST

Ingredients:

(Serves 8)

130g light brown soft sugar, plus 2tbsp for sprinkling
1/2tsp ground cinnamon
1/2tsp ground cardamon
100g plain flour
Pinch of salt
50g cold unsalted butter, diced
1tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
120ml sour cream, plus extra to serve
1/2tsp baking powder
1 egg
80g dark chocolate, finely chopped, or use the same weight of dark chocolate buttons
40g shelled pistachios or chopped almonds
40g dried cherries

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F/Gas 4. Line a 24cm round cake tin with baking paper.

2. Combine the sugar, spices and flour with the pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Rub in the butter using your fingertips, until you have a sandy texture. (Alternatively, you can do this bit in a food processor, pulsing until you have the right texture.) Tip half the mixture into a separate bowl and stir in the cocoa. Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake tin and press down slightly to form an even base.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, baking powder and egg. Add this to the remaining our mixture, then stir in the chocolate, pistachios and dried cherries, and pour the whole lot over the pressed base. Sprinkle the mixture with the two tablespoons of sugar.

4. Bake for 40 minutes, until golden on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow the torte to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and slice.

View this post on Instagram

Well hello Mr Postman. x15 of my new book, brand spanking new & x4 weeks before publication date. I love it. Such a fantastic feeling. I have about x6 of these earmarked; including you Kyle (the hairdresser, and whizz recipe tester), my mum (who I’ve dedicated the book to), Roz (for stealing your big, bright kitchen last June), Steph (for your charity auction), Sophie out in Kenya (more on this later...) & others. New Kitchen Basics. Out March 7th 2019 & available to preorder now. #NKB @quadrillebooks @sarah10016 @nikki_l_ellis @samuelflamuel @forks_and_knives @andymosse

A post shared by C L A I R E T H O M S O N (@5oclockapron) on Feb 7, 2019 at 12:21am PST