Growing up, my family didn’t really do desserts. There were birthday cakes at birthdays and Christmas cookies at Christmas, and that’s about it. But that was enough to spark my adoration for sweets! Some of my earliest baking memories are my mom and I in the kitchen around the holidays, prepping dozens of cookies and fudge squares to package up and gift to family and friends. One of my all-time favourite holiday cookies we used to make were these little chocolate almond butter cookies. So, when I was tasked with using an almond emulsion to create a holiday cake, I knew exactly where to begin! I drew the flavours from the cookie into a cake, and then of course incorporated the cookie itself. How could I not?? Adding some espresso to tie in the warm vibes of fall and bring a bit of maturity, this cake is all nostalgia, good memories, and coziness.
This post reaaaally includes 3 recipes: the chocolate almond butter cookies (a family recipe!), the cake itself, and a ganache recipe that’s designed to be stable enough for stacking and filling a layer cake. Almond emulsion is included in each one – it really is the star of this show!
The cookies are a fairly simple recipe, requiring only one bowl and a quick bake time. They don’t spread much, so you can pack them on to the cookie sheet and have them all baked in one batch!
The cake is similar to my Favourite Fudgey Chocolate Cake Recipe, with the addition of almond emulsion (and a few other minor tweaks).
Confession: when I make ganache for a filling, or for a drip… I don’t measure it. I just eyeball it, and add more chocolate chips/heavy cream as needed until I am happy with the consistency. However, when I am making a ganache for stacking and filling a cake, I always measure it. The consistency of the ganache is a critical part of a successful stack. This is why I prefer to measure by weight, to make sure I’ve got the correct ratio.
Once set, the ganache should have a similar texture to peanut butter.
I believe I listed the sliced almonds as optional, but I highly recommend using them. They add a really nice crunch to the cake, but also a deep nutty flavour that balances out the emulsion quite well.
And that’s it! Here’s a video of me putting this cake together:
Enjoy!
Mocha Almond Fudge Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1½ cups flour
- ½ t salt
- 1½ t baking soda
- ¾ t baking powder
- 1⅓ cups white sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder ideally half black cocoa, half regular cocoa
- 1 T espresso powder
- ¾ cup hot water
- 1 t almond emulsion
- 1 t vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- ¼ cup buttermilk
Ganache
- 400 g dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 200 g heavy cream (35%)
- 1 T espresso powder
- 1 t almond emulsion
Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies
- ¾ cup butter softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 t almond emulsion
- 1½ cups flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ t salt
- 12 whole almonds optional
Extras
- ¼ cup sliced almonds toasted
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. If using cake strips, start them soaking in a bowl of warm water. Prepare 3 6” cake pans by lining with parchment paper and spraying with cooking spray.
- Sift flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar together in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine cocoa powder(s) and espresso powder. Add in the hot water, whisking until a thin paste forms.
- Add the Greek yogurt, buttermilk, eggs, canola oil, almond emulsion, and vanilla to the cocoa mixture. Whisk until completely combined.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Fold together using a spatula until no lumps remain. Try not to overmix, as this will produce a chewy cake!
- Divide the batter evenly between the 3 pans. Wrap with the cake strips, and bake for 38 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean). Bake time will be shorter without cake strips; closer to 32 minutes.
- To make assembly easier, wrap cake layers in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour (and up to a week).
Ganache
- Microwave heavy cream for 1-2 minutes, until steaming.
- Add chocolate chips, espresso powder, and almond emulsion to the cream. Let stand a few minutes, to let the chocolate start to melt.
- Whisk until all of the chocolate is melted and no lumps remain. If required, you can pop it back in the microwave for 30 second increments.
- Cover the ganache with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature overnight to set up. If you are short on time, you can place it in the fridge to set faster, but then you must stir every 10 minutes, to ensure it does not get lumpy. Once the ganache has the consistency of peanut butter, it has set up enough.
Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare 2 cookie sheets by lining them with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add egg yolk and almond emulsion. Beat until smooth.
- Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until combined. The dough will start out looking quite dry, but then clump up as it mixes.
- Form 1” balls, lightly pressing each one onto the cookie sheets. The cookies will not spread, so don’t worry about spacing them apart too much.
- Optional: place one whole almond at the centre of half of the cookies.
- Bake for 8 minutes.
Assembly
- Prepare the filling by chopping up 8-10 cookies and toasting the sliced almonds.
- Spread a small dollop of ganache onto a cake plate or board. Place the first layer on the board, and cover in a layer of ganache.
- Sprinkle with the chopped cookies and toasted almonds.
- Place the next cake layer down on top, pressing down to ensure there is no air trapped between the layers.
- Repeat with layers 2 and 3.
- Once all 3 layers are stacked, crumb coat the entire cake in a thin layer of ganache. Place the cake in the fridge to firm up.
- Microwave the remaining ganache for about 8 seconds, and stir. This will bring it to a consistency that is easier to spread and smooth.
- Coat the cake in a final layer of ganache. Pipe dollops of ganache along the top and side of the cake, adding chocolate almond butter cookies and sliced almonds as decor.