Chocolate & Pomegranate Torte

Look at those pomegranate seeds gleaming like rubies! This torte is a perfect treat for dinner parties, especially for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

While the ingredients are similar to a brownie, the taste and texture couldn’t be more different, thanks to its method. The torte is fluffy and moist because of the volume generated by the whipped eggs. Somehow, because it’s moist, the chocolate taste seems to be more concentrated… or maybe that’s just the sauce. Either way, it’s a delicious dessert!

The pomegranates add a nice crunch to accompany the soft, fluffy cake. The tart and sweet flavors simply burst in your mouth that cut’s through the chocolaty taste, leaving you wanting for more.

This recipe makes four 4-inch mini cakes, or one 6-inch cake. Here’s how to make it.

You need:

For the torte:

• 1/3 cups dark chocolate (min 72%), melted
• 1/3 cups pure butter or coconut oil, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup honey
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp Summer Day Naturals’ Ground Vanilla Bean
• 3 tbsp. ground almond
• 1 ½ tbsp. cocoa powder

For the topping:

• ½ cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate (min 72%)
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp Summer Day Naturals’ Ground Vanilla Bean
• ½ pomegranate

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 6-inch spring form cake tin and line the bottom with parchment paper. Stir melted chocolate and butter together and set aside.*
2. In a small bowl, mix together salt, vanilla bean powder, ground almond and cocoa powder. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, crack the eggs in and add in honey. Using an electric hand mixer, whisk the egg for 5-8 minutes until thick and doubled in volume, like a mousse.** Gently pour in the melted chocolate and butter mixture and mix gently using a baking spatula.
4. Next, drizzle the ground almond mixture over the batter and fold in using the spatula.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake is set on top.***
6. For the topping: chop the dark chocolate and place it in a heatproof glass or metal bowl along with honey and vanilla bean powder. Bring almond milk to a simmer, and pour over the chocolates. Let it sit for a few minutes. Stir until smooth and let it cool slightly to thicken.
7. To serve, carefully remove the torte from the tin and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. You can serve it immediately or refrigerate before serving. Enjoy!

* Melt chocolate and butter in a microwave or over a double-boiler. You can melt them together.

** The eggs are the only rising agent in this recipe, so be sure to whip until it is very fluffy, like a mousse.

*** The cake will rise while baking, and will crack and sink slightly while cooling.

Recipe taken and adapted from BBC Good Food.