Italian Fruitcakes With Frangelico Chocolate Sauce Recipes

PANFORTE DI SIENNA (ITALIAN FRUIT CAKE)

Steps:

• Position the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 325° F. Coat the pan with cooking spray, then lay a round of parchment in the bottom, and then coat the top of the parchment with cooking spray. Dust flour all the way around the sides and the bottom and tap out any extra. The panforte will be very sticky, so you want the pan to be well-prepared.
• In the large bowl, toss together prepared almonds, hazelnuts, figs, apricots, and orange peels.
• In the medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cocoa powder, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and ground pepper. Make sure all the dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add the dry ingredients to the fruit and nuts and toss together until everything is thoroughly coated.
• In the medium sauce pan with the candy thermometer attached, add the sugar, honey and butter and cook over medium heat until the temperature reaches 217° F. Remove the pan from the heat and remove the candy thermometer. Quickly pour the sugar mixture over the fruit and nuts mixture and stir together with a nonstick spatula until everything is thoroughly coated.
• Pour into the prepared baking pan and spread the mixture around evenly.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the surface is bubbly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
• To serve, dust with powdered sugar and cut into thin slices. Wrap in parchment and plastic wrap to store.

ITALIAN FRUITCAKES WITH FRANGELICO CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• For cakes:
• Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter and flour 12 miniature Bundt molds or 12 oversize muffin cups (each about 1-cup capacity). Toss nuts, figs, chocolate and ginger in medium bowl to blend.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1/4 cup Frangelico and orange peel (mixture may look curdled). Sift both flours and salt over batter; mix in. Stir in nut and fruit mixture.
• Divide batter among molds. Bake cakes until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 45 minutes (about 55 minutes if using muffin cups). Turn cakes out onto racks; brush with 1/4 cup liqueur. Cool cakes completely.
• Cut out twelve 10-inch cheesecloth squares. Pour 1 1/2 cups liqueur into small bowl. Dip 1 square into liqueur; squeeze out some but not all liqueur. Wrap 1 cake in liqueur-soaked cheesecloth, then in foil. Repeat dipping and wrapping with remaining cakes, adding more liqueur if needed. Chill at least 1 week and up to 2 weeks. Bring cakes to room temperature before serving.
• For sauce:
• Stir chocolate, 2/3 cup cream and liqueur in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts and sauce is smooth.
• Arrange 1 cake on each plate. Drizzle with sauce. Pipe or spoon whipped cream alongside, if desired, and serve.

CHOCOLATE-FRANGELICO CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Wrap foil tightly around outside of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Finely grind graham cracker cookies in processor. Add butter and process until blended. Press mixture onto bottom (not sides) of prepared pan. Set aside.
• For filling
• Blend cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar, sour cream and cornstarch in processor. Add eggs, yolk and vanilla; process until well blended, scraping down sides of processor occasionally. Transfer 3/4 cup cream cheese mixture to small bowl; set aside. Add Frangelico, almonds and almond extract to remaining cream cheese mixture in processor. Blend well, using on/off turns. Spoon 2 1/2 cups Frangelico mixture over crust.
• Mix cocoa powder and 3 tablespoons sugar into reserved 3/4 cup cream cheese mixture. Spoon 2/3 cup cocoa mixture over Frangelico mixture in pan. Spoon remaining Frangelico mixture over cocoa mixture. Drop remaining cocoa mixture over by spoonfuls. Run tip of small knife through batter several times to marbleize.
• Bake cheesecake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until sides are puffed and center is set, about 45 minutes. Transfer cake to rack. Using small knife, cut around sides of pan to loosen cake. Cool cake completely in pan. Cover; chill overnight. Remove pan sides from cake. Cut into wedges and serve.