Chocolate cake topped with amaretti semifreddo:

Paired with Prosecco, Oh Yes!!!

Note: You want to make the semifreddo first, about 4-5 hours prior to baking the cake.

Amaretti semifreddo:

4 eggs, separated

4 egg yolks,

½ cups heavy cream

¾ cups crushed amaretti cookies

In a large mixing bowl whisk 8 egg yolks and sugar until smooth, and fluffy ( about 3 minutes). Place egg whites in stand mixer and whisk until small peaks begin to form, and then slowly and carefully fold whites and Amaretti cookies into yolk mixture. Folding is a delicate process and not merely mixing the ingredients together. You literally want to very slowly turn your rubber spatula over gently combining ingredients but not fully stirring and certainly not whisking. Take mixture and place in glass or plastic container that has a sealable cover, cover and freeze for about six hours.

Chocolate Cake:

1 ½ cups OO flour

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/3 cup sugar

2/3 cups vegetable oil

½ cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1 large Perugina 60% cocoa chocolate bar

Plus for garnish

½ bar of Perugina 60% cocoa chocolate bar

10 Amaretti cookies

10 small fresh mint leaves (washed)

In a small bowl combine (using a fine sifter) flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. In a standing mixer or a large mixing bowl with hand mixer, use whisk attachment, add sugar, oil, eggs, and whip on medium until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Change to paddle attachment and at low speed slowlyadd dry ingredients as well as milk and cream in four equal segments. (Add ¼ dry and ¼ milk/cream, let incorporate for 30 seconds, then repeat until fully incorporated).

Preheat oven to 385 degrees. Prepare medium glass baking dish with non stick spray, then line bottom with parchment paper (not wax paper, the two papers are quite different as wax paper will melt), then spray parchment paper as well. Pour cake mixture into baking pan to about a ½ inch depth, and then add Perugina chocolate bar cut into random bite sized pieces evenly over top of mixture. Insert into preheated oven and bake 10 minutes, then lower oven to 300 degrees and bake another 5-7 minutes or until you can stick the cake with a clean wooden toothpick and the pick comes out clean. Remove from

oven and let cool and least 1 ½ hours. Then carefully remove from pan with medium rubber spatula.

When the semifreddo has been frozen at least 6 hours and the cake is fully cool, heat a double boiler filled with 1 cup water and add ½ Perugina chocolate bar until melted and smooth; then cut cake into small squares, place on serving dish, then add generous dollop of semifreddo, an Amaretti cookie and mint leave for garnish as well as drizzle of melted Perugina chocolate.

What to drink? Wine pairing (Italian Prosecco of course!!!)

Some would advise a fine port or even for contrast a heavy, bold red. But for me to accent this desert I love Prosecco, (try Collalbrigo from Italy). Sweet with sweet yes, but also I like a little contrast as well as a little cleansing of the palate, and for this the port is just too sweet and a bit heavy, while the contrast of the bold red just overpowers and conflicts with the Chocolate. It’s almost like the need to follow something sweet and heavy with milk.

This is a variation of a Marc Vetri recipe.