This gluten free Double Chocolate Orange Torte will make a nice treat for Passover, which is rapidly approaching! My family, however, needed no holiday or excuse to devour the entire cake on a Sunday afternoon. This treat is easy to make and even easier to eat. Go ahead, try some and see for yourself.
Double Chocolate Orange Torte
Ingredients
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup agave nectar or honey
- ½ cup grapeseed oil or palm shortening
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Place ½ cup chocolate chips in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground to the texture of gravel
- Pulse in almond flour, cacao powder and salt and process until well combined, about 10 seconds
- Add eggs to food processor and pulse again, then add in agave, grapeseed oil and orange zest
- Pulse all ingredients together until smooth
- Remove "bowl" from food processor and stir in second ½ cup of chocolate chips using a spoon or spatula
- Transfer batter into a well oiled 8 inch springform pan
- Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
I adapted this torte recipe from a site called Mandelininc.com which has yummy ideas for almond flour goodies. The recipe I based mine on is called Chocolate Citrus Almond Torte.
Finally, I just wanted to share some disturbing information that I garnered from an article in this Sunday’s New York Times. Nicholas D. Kristof wrote a very informative piece on the use of antibiotics in factory farming. According to his article we, “need to curb the way modern agribusiness madly overuses antibiotics, leaving them ineffective for sick humans.”
Did you know that 70% of the antibiotics used in this country are administered to healthy farm animals. Why is this done? It helps the animals grow faster and bulk up, making them, of course, more valuable. Meat is sold by the pound –think quantity, not quality.
The danger of this practice? With antibiotics so prevalent, new “super bugs” are developing that are resistant to all existing anti-biotics. According to Kristof, more than 18,000 people are dying each year from these new strains of disease that are now untreatable with even the most powerful antibiotics. Pretty scary to think that after close to a century of antibiotic use we could slip back into a world where bacterial diseases (such as tuberculosis) are untreatable and ravage our population on a large scale as they once did.
What can we do? First, if you can avoid all animal products from CAFO farms (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations). These types of farms crowd animals into unsanitary conditions, creating infection and of course increasing the need for the administration of prophylactic antibiotics. If you can, purchase organic meats/eggs/dairy from a farmer/rancher in your area (grass fed meat is actually best, however, that’s another story altogether).
And for all you vegans out there –kudos for not supporting the animal product industry in any way, however, these antibiotic resistant infections are contagious to everyone. They originate in a farm and can mutate to our bodies in many ways, not just by eating meat.
I am hardly an expert on this issue, nor do I claim to be. So please, those of you that have more information, leave a comment and let’s figure out what else we can do to change this frightening trend.
kelli says
I am anxious to try this I also love the information you posted.
My family and I live in a very suburban southern California community in a small home with a small yard but we checked the city ordinances and they allow you to have chickens! So we bought 4 little chicks and our children have had a great time raising them, building a coop, letting them range throughout the day -great pest control by the way- putting them away at night, feeding them , and of course collecting the eggs.
I have a 7yr old with ADD, my 4yr old is Autistic and an 18month old with many delays, not only has this been fun for them but the eggs (we get 2-4 a day) are delicious and safe. I always get comments about my gluten free recipes turning out fluffier and tastier than others who have tried the same ones. it is not hard to keep chickens for people who live in cities that permit it. I highly recommend looking into it if you are concerned about the use of antibiotics in your food, I had no idea how many eggs we actually eat!
Gabrielle Dodd says
I’ve watched a lot of food documentaries and they sure open your eyes to what you put in your body.
Actually our local health food store has an organic group you can join that works with local farmers in western kentucky. That was the only thing I asked for from our tax return this year.
Irina says
Thanks Elana! I see that this is kosher for passover, so your timing is perfect (as usual). It’s going to be a treat on my Passover menu.
Irina
Lauren says
Stunning!
This torte looks like a fantastic way to end (or start!) the day =D.
Ellie Snyder says
Everyone should see the film Food Inc. Will change your shopping habits.
Aloha,
Ellie
Christa says
Sounds wonderful. And thanks for all the food info as well – I am on the sixth round of antibiotics trying to get rid of a bad dental infection and it is not working. Thanks for opening everyone’s eyes. I just finished reading a great – and entertaining book that touches on all of this, too – “The Butcher and the Vegetarian” by Tara Austen Weaver…
Marie Dolce says
Consider adding Sovereign Silver brand of Coilloidal Silver to your antiobiotic regime …. more info @TheSilverEdge.com. I am not affiliated with them, just someone who is very passionate about natural self care wellness and maintenance… Colloidal Silver works!! It’s even effective against MRSA and some other ‘resistant’ organisms….
Jose says
Any particular reason not to separate the eggs? I’ve read that beating the whites separately results in a lighter cake. Looks like a great recipe.
Sara says
That torte looks outstanding.
Thanks for posting the information about the meat – we’ve been enlightened in the past few months about how bad our meat supply is. We’re trying to stick to a vegan lifestyle for health reasons, but every once in a while that grassfed hamburger hits the spot.
Beth says
Now I know what I’m making this weekend.
I’ll have to try it in a regular pan or pyrex dish though, due to the lack of a spring form pan.
Christie @ Honoring Health says
Yum, this looks absolutely wonderful. You never cease to amaze me!