For a minute there, it seemed like we were going to have real summer in Scotland. For about two weeks, the weather was absolutely delightful. It was sunny and warm, not too hot. Perfect weather for outdoor eating and drinking. It was a dream.
I wore sandals and flowery kimonos and desperately wished I had a big floppy hat. It was like I knew who I was again for a moment. I’m having a hard time figuring out who I am in winter, but summer me is very familiar. I was reveling.
Of course, now everything’s back to rain and clouds and chill and general dreariness. Beggars can’t be choosers, I suppose. But all that sunshine put me in the mood for margaritas!
This time, those margaritas are coming to you in the form of cake. You can never say I don’t take good care of you. A flourless chocolate lime cake, to be precise. It’s topped with fluffy clouds of lime and tequila spiked whipped cream. It’s hot summer nights on a plate. And it’s gluten-free.
I hope your summer is full of margaritas in the sun. If you can’t get sun, make a cup of team, and have some Flourless Chocolate Lime Cake with Margarita Cream. It’ll still be totally awesome.
- 150 grams dark chocolate, broken into pieces
- 150 grams butter
- 6 eggs
- 250 grams sugar
- 100 grams ground almonds
- 4 teaspoons cocoa powder
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- Powdered sugar to dust, optional
- 60 ml lime juice
- 1 tablespoon tequila
- 1 tablespoon triple sec
- 75 grams powdered sugar
- 250 ml double cream or heavy cream
- Preheat oven to 180C or 350F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch/23 centimeter springform pan with parchment paper and butter the sides. Set aside.
- Melt chocolate and butter together. You can do this in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each one. I do mine in the microwave, and it takes about a minute and a half. Set aside to cool a bit.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until it becomes pale and foamy and has approximately tripled in size. This foam is what will make your cake rise, so give it time to get good and frothy.
- Combine your ground almonds and cocoa powder, then gently fold them into your egg and sugar foam. Next, fold in the chocolate mixture. Finally fold in the lime zest and juice.
- Pour your cake batter into your waiting pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. You'll have a firm crust on top, but it may still be a tiny bit wobbly underneath.
- Allow your cake to cool completely. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cake before releasing the collar. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if you like.
- Combine lime juice, tequila, and triple sec on a medium mixing bowl. Whisk in the powdered sugar to dissolve. Add the cream, and whisk until stiff peaks form. I did this by hand, but an electric mixer would make it go more quickly. It may take slightly longer than normal because of the added liquid.
- Top each slice of cake with billowing clouds of margarita cream. Be sure to store any leftovers in the fridge.
