CHOCOLATE and ORANGE DELICACIES

Recipe from "Le Petit Larousse du Chocolat"
(Edition November 2008)
www.larousse.fr

Ingredients

Makes 12 little cakes

For the orange compote:
. 1 orange
. 50g (1.8oz) caster sugar
. 50g (1.8oz) brown sugar
. 35g (1.2oz) of honey

For the cake mix:
. 50g (1.8oz) chocolate 
. 60g (2.1oz) soft butter
. 100g (3.5oz) almonds in powder
. 70g (2.5oz) caster sugar
. 2 eggs
. 10g (0.4oz) honey
. 2 teaspoons of Cointreau.

For decoration:
Icing sugar (optional)

Preparation

The day before, prepare the orange compote:
1- Peel the orange and cut into segments.
2- Place in a saucepan and add the 2 types of sugar and honey.
3- Cook the whole mixture for 25 minutes on a low flame, until it forms a compote. Refrigerate overnight.

On the same day, prepare the cake mix:
1- Chop up the chocolate and melt in a bain-marie. Take a bowl and work the soft butter with a spatula until thick and creamy, then gradually add the melted chocolate.
2- In a blender, mix the powdered almonds with the sugar. Gradually add the whipped eggs and mix to obtain a smooth, creamy paste, then add the honey.
3- Little by little, work in the chocolate-butter mixture, then the Cointreau. Keep on mixing to get a smooth and creamy consistency. Refrigerate for one hour then pour into a pouch fitted with an even nozzle.
4- Pre-heat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Butter a mini-muffin silicone mould.
5- Place a layer of the mixture, about 1.25cm (0.5 inch) thick, into the mini-moulds. Take a teaspoon and spread a 6cm (0.25 inch) coat of orange compote on top (keep the rest for decoration). Spread the rest of the pastry mix on top, filling the moulds to two-thirds.
6- Oven bake for 10 minutes then lower the temperature to 160°C (320°F) and continue baking for another 15 minutes.
7- Leave the chocolate and orange cakes to cool then remove from their moulds.
Spread a layer of orange compote on the top of each cake then, if you wish, sprinkle on a little icing sugar.