Chocolate Almond Cake with Amaretto Cherries + It’s Time to Thrive
This one has me dancing (+ a step-by-step video)
A moist (grain-free) chocolate almond cake gets topped with amaretto marinated cherries (you can make them boozy or not—both are delicious), along with a dollop of sour cream whipped cream for a supremely sexy dessert with black forest vibes.
Hello my dears,
It’s always a good day when I get to share a new cake recipe with you, and this one has me dancing in my seat. The chocolate cake itself is simple and rustic (the batter gets made in just one bowl with five ingredients), with a rich texture that lands between a classic cake and a fudgy brownie. It gets dressed up with amaretto-soaked cherries (the real star) and sour cream whipped cream, which has cheesecake-like vibes.
February is a long, dark month here in the Hudson Valley (as I’m writing this it’s sleeting and snowing outside), and I’ll take any excuse I can to infuse it with celebration, which is one of the reasons I love Valentine’s Day. It’s never been a holiday about romance for me, which you can read about here, but rather one about family. We decorate the table and make a bubbling pot of fondue, and throw a tiny little party for the four of us, just for the hell of it.
My dears, we could use all use more excuses to celebrate right now. The world out there is heavy, and it’s all too easy to get sucked down into anxiety or anger or fear. Earlier this week as I was tending to sick kids (ugh, sickness found us again, but this time in the form of the flu for one and a cold for the other) while disinfecting everything, stressing about a book deadline, and being appalled at news headlines, I found myself slithering into the dark stench of stress. Before I got there, however, I happened to see a newsletter from Renee Moorefield, a leadership consultant and coach with whom I interned in college, titled: “Your state of being shapes your future.”
Your state of being shapes your future.
This made me pause. Our state of being—our physical, emotional, and spiritual health, right now—shapes our future. It seems so obvious, and yet it’s so profound. While Renee’s message was directed at corporate leaders, her message applies to us all. She wrote:
It probably comes as no surprise that when we’re dysregulated, disenchanted, or depleted, we’re more apt to view certain opportunities as out of reach or feel trapped in a situation with no way out. We’ve all been there at some point. On the flip side, when we're feeling internally well-resourced and vibrant we're likely to see brighter possibilities for the future ahead.
When we’re feeling vital and nourished (on all levels), we can gain clarity about the future we even want to see (and how to get there). I don’t know about you, but when I’m feeling unwell or stressed, my full focus goes into simply surviving, not towards imagination or creation. If we want to create the future we want for ourselves and for the world, we can’t just survive, we need to thrive. In the newsletter Renee went on to say:
Down to your biology, a state of wellbeing allows you to think more clearly, assess situations non-reactively, and tap into an inner well of cognitive and embodied insight to draw on—allowing you to create an aspiration aligned with your values and sustainable success.
This is easier said than done, of course. But there are little things we can do to help ourselves thrive. We can check in, daily, with our state of being, asking ourselves, “What do I need to feel more supported, today?” For me, that meant getting off of social media and my phone this week so that I could open up more time in the day (sorry for all the unanswered calls and text messages!). It meant scrapping my menu plan and ordering take-out when I wanted to work late. And it meant waking up a bit earlier to ensure I’d have time to sit quietly by myself, tending to my inner world before dealing with the outer world.
The same day that I read Renee’s email I picked a card from this Kuan Yin deck (the card was Nectar of the Lotus), which said, “When you are full, well and vital, the feeding of others happens effortlessly.”
In other words, only when we’re thriving we can naturally, authentically lift up and support others. (Thank you universe—message received!)
This week, let’s examine what will help us thrive. What practices, actions and even recipes will lift us up, nourishing our bodies, minds and spirits? How can we create more well-being for ourselves, trusting that in doing so we will be better able to support those who need us and have the agency to create the world we want to see?
Throwing a party or a micro-celebration might help. Sure there’s the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day, but you can celebrate anything. Even just baking a chocolate cake can turn into a celebration of sorts—the act of making something sumptuous and delicious just for the sheer joy of it.
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Recipe
You can download a pdf of the cake recipe here (I’ve also included text and jpeg versions at the bottom of the page—if you’re viewing this in email it might be too long to see, so click the title at the top and it will take you to the full page):
You can also watch a step-by-step video here:
I’d love your input! Do you find these videos helpful (or maybe they’re distracting)? Please let me know, with honesty. I only want to provide content that’s useful to you.
Another quick favor! If you appreciate this newsletter, would you mind clicking the heart ❤️ in the upper left? It lets me know you’re here (it means so much to see real humans out there). Also, I LOVE it when you comment and ask questions. What will help you thrive this week?
Wishing you a wonderful weekend, and remember to nourish yourself with intention and love. Give yourself license to thrive, my love, in whatever way feels right for you. Shine on!
xo, Nicki
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Super Bowl + Chocolate + Valentine’s Day
Get a slew of Super Bowl recipes (all of which just happen to be gluten-free, but nobody will know) here.
Chocolate Almond Cake with Amaretto Cherries & Sour Cream Whipped Cream
This is a simple but gorgeous chocolate cake with black forest vibes. A moist, grain-free almond cake gets topped with amaretto marinated cherries (you can make them boozy or not—I’ve included both versions below), along with a dollop of sour cream whipped cream. The sour cream gives the whipped cream subtle cheesecake-like vibes (it’s my new obsession for any dessert that involves fruit), but you could use regular whipped cream or even dairy-free coconut whipped cream if you prefer. The one-bowl chocolate almond cake is adapted from this recipe and is my go-to, everyday cake. It doesn’t contain any oil, dairy or butter—it gets its richness solely from melted chocolate, eggs and almond flour. It can even be made the day before. The cherries, which should be made at least 8 hours ahead (to soak up all the flavors), are the real star—serve any extras on fresh ricotta, yogurt, poundcake, pancakes or waffles.
Makes: 1 8-inch cake | Prep time: 30 minutes, plus 1 day for cherries | Cooking time: 25 minutes
INGREDIENTS
Marinated Cherries
1 10-ounce bag frozen pitted sweet cherries, defrosted
Boozy Cherries
1/4 cup amaretto
Non-Alcoholic Cherries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Chocolate Almond Cake
Cooking spray, butter or oil, for pan
5 ounces (142g) dark chocolate (preferably 70% cacao content), coarsely chopped (1 cup chopped), plus more for shaving
4 large eggs
2/3 cup (133g) natural cane sugar (or regular granulated sugar)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
1 cup (100g) almond flour, whisked to remove any lumps
Sour cream whipped cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon organic cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
1/2 cup (130g) full fat sour cream
Pinch salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Soak the cherries
Place the defrosted cherries in a bowl or container with a lid.
For boozy cheries: Pour the amaretto over the cherries (it won’t cover them). Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours (or up to 2 days), stirring occasionally.
For non-alcoholic cherries: Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar and almond extract. Pour the mixture over the cherries (it won’t cover them). Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours (or up to 2 days), stirring occasionally.
Make the chocolate cake
Preheat the oven to 350˚F (175˚C). Generously grease the bottom and sides of an 8-inch cake pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper and grease the paper.
Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and microwave it in 15-30 second intervals, stirring between each, until melted (alternatively, melt the chocolate on the stovetop in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water or in a double boiler). Let it cool for five minutes.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or using hand beaters), combine the eggs and sugar. Beat on high speed until light in color and doubled in volume, about 2 to 3 minutes (this is an important step, as there are no other leavening agents in the cake). Mix in the salt and vanilla. With the machine running on medium, slowly pour in the chocolate. Stop and scrape down the sides (the batter will have speckles of chocolate, which is okay), then add the almond flour. Mix on low until just combined. Give the batter one more fold with a rubber spatula to incorporate any flour on the sides.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it in an even layer. Bake for 24-26 minutes, or until the top looks dry and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with few damp crumbs (the toothpick shouldn’t come out clean—err on the side of under-baking). Set the pan on a cooling rack and let it cool for 10 minutes.
Run a thin knife or small off-set spatula around the edge of the pan, then invert the cake to remove it from the pan. Peel off the parchment, then invert the cake back on the rack, top side up, and let it cool completely. Do Ahead: The cake can be made 1 day in advance. Once cooled, cover it with plastic wrap and store it at room temperature.
Make the sour cream whipped cream
In large bowl combine the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Using handheld beaters (or a large whisk), beat the cream on medium-low speed until slightly thickened but not holding peaks. Add the sour cream and continue whisking until soft peaks form. Do Ahead: The sour cream whipped cream can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 8 hours before serving.
Assemble and serve
Cut the cake into slices. Spoon the cherries and some of their juices over each slice, and dollop each generously with the whipped cream. If you’d like, shave a bit of chocolate over top.
Do Ahead: The chocolate cake and cherries can be made the day before. The sour cream whipped cream can be made up to 8 hours in advance.
Recipe tips:
I always recommend using an inexpensive kitchen scale when baking, especially when using alternative flours. It’s not only more foolproof (meaning you’ll get better results), but easier too.
You can bake the cake in a 9-inch regular or springform pan, but the cake will be thinner (and rather delicate). Reduce the baking time to 20-22 minutes.
For a dairy free cake, serve the cake with coconut whipped cream—get the recipe in this post).
You can swap out the marinated cherries for this Easy Strawberry Sauce or even just go for fresh berries.
If you make the boozy cherries, you might want to serve the cake with small glasses of the soaking liquid for sipping (you can even double the amount of amaretto in the cherries, if you want)!
This was such a motivating post! I was feeling so down with the doomscrolling, and this really helped recenter me. The cake looks amazing too! Can’t wait to try it. But I also have to ask—what are your go-to takeout spots around Cold Spring? The options seem so limited (except for pizza), and that is the one thing I miss about living in the city.
I am popping in just to say thank you for the EZ Tahini Sauce—what a gift! We use it on everything and it makes everything so much better! Thank You!