This crumbly chocolate-studded cake is the best use for stale bread and forgotten cookies that we can think of. Developed initially by chef Francesco Vincenzi for the food-insecurity-fighting efforts of the Refettorio Ghirlandia community kitchen, this recipe swaps out the flour or almond meal you’d expect in a cake for pulverized dried bread. Chopped cookies (Vincenzi uses Italian amaretti, but any dry wafer-like cookie works well here) and chocolate are then folded into the batter, which is flavored with anise-infused cream. Of course, if you don’t have stale bread, you can still make this cake: Just bake your fresh slices in a 250° oven until crisp and parched, about 20 minutes.
What you’ll need
8-Inch Cake Pan
$16 At Amazon
Electric Mixer
$50 $40 At Amazon
.jpg)
Food Processor
$70 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$16 $12 At Amazon
Small Saucepan
$160 At Amazon
Wire Cooling Rack
$17 At Bon Appétit Market
.jpg)
Recipe information
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Bring cream, star anise, and aniseed (if using) to a boil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Step 2
Strain cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring glass, pressing on solids to extract as much cream as possible; discard solids. Add more cream if needed to bring the amount back up to ¾ cup.
Step 3
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Line bottom of an 8"-diameter cake pan with a parchment paper round; spray sides of pan with nonstick spray or lightly coat with butter. Pulse or blend bread in a food processor or blender until finely ground.
Step 4
Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat eggs, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. With motor running, gradually add cream. Once cream is combined, add finely ground bread and baking powder; mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold in biscuits and chocolate. Scrape batter into prepared pan and rap pan on counter.
Step 5
Bake cake until golden and top springs back when lightly pressed, 25–30 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cake cool in pan 5 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and unmold. Let cool completely. (You can also eat the torta warm while the chocolate is still in molten pools or chill and crumble it into a cup of yogurt or milk.)
Step 6
Peel parchment paper away from cake; discard. Place cake, right side up, on a platter. Cut into wedges and serve with whipped cream, dusted with cocoa powder if desired.
Do ahead: Cake can be baked 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
