Chocolate Canna-Almond Cake

This rich and elegant chocolate cake has just enough weed to ring in the New Year right with a bang. Or a bong!  Adapted from one of my favorite restaurants in Portland, the earthiness of the ground almonds that compliments the cannabis really makes this is one of those recipes that I think actually benefits from a hint of weed. Plan to dine around 9 and serve the canna-cake around 10:30 — hopefully the herb will kick in just around midnight and you can toast to a cannabis-friendly country in the next few years.

Happy New Year, fellow cannabis lovers!

Chocolate Canna-Almond Cake

(Serves 8-10)

Ingredients:

Cake

8 ounces almonds (Spanish Marcona work best)
1 cup of sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup canna-canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons orange zest
Pinch of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg

Syrup

1 cup brandy
1/2 cup sugar

Ganache

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, grated
4 ounces heavy cream

Directions:

Cake

1. Start by pre-heating oven to 340 degrees. Cut and place parchment in bottom of 9-inch pan.

2. Put almonds and sugar in food processor and grind into flour, being careful no to let it overheat or turn to almond butter.

3. Whip eggs until light and pale. Mix canna-oil and buttermilk. Add half flour then, half oil mixture, then remaining flour and remaining oil. Add zest and spice. Pour in pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until the cake tests done.

Syrup

4. Heat brandy on stove, add sugar until it melts completely. When cake is done and still warm in the pan, pour syrup over back of spoon and let cake absorb all the syrup.

Ganache

5. Put grated chocolate in bowl. Heat cream until simmering. Pour slowly over chocolate while stirring. If the chocolate doesn’t melt all the way melt, gently placing bowl over simmering water and continue to stir.

6. Cover cake with the frosting and let the chocolate set up.

Plan to be baked on New Year’s Eve? Tell us your party plans.