Zuccotto Fiorentino: Chocolate Almond Cream Cake

Said to emulate the Duomo of Florence, this beautiful dome shaped dessert is filled with delicate chocolate cream, crunchy almonds, and has the subtle taste of almond liqueur.

Zuccotto Fiorentino is a no-bake cake that originated in Florence during the renaissance. Although there are many variations on this creamy Italian dessert, all zuccotti have a soft outer cake shaped in a bowl held up by a chilled (semifreddo) cream center. 

It is the perfect thing to make when you don't want to bake, but you still want to impress. Believe me when you slice into this gorgeous chocolate almond cream cake and pull out a slice, standing high, no one will care that you didn't turn on the oven.

Make this recipe, because...

Zuccotto Fiorentino is made with sliced pound cake fit into a 10 inch bowl. The slices are brushed with sweet amaretto liqueur.

It is then filled with chocolate cream made by blending semi-sweet ganache and sweetened vanilla whipped cream for a rich and decadent center. 

A layer of chopped toasted almonds gives the center a nice crunch. 

Finally, the chilled dome is dusted with a mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa.

This Italian Chocolate Almond Cream Cake is a no-bake masterpiece.

Ingredients

Pound cake- Choose a good quality cake that is tender and moist.

Amaretto- An Italian almond flavored liqueur that is slightly sweet and won't overpower the Zuccotto with a raw alcohol flavor. 

Semi-sweet Chocolate Baking Bar- Use a baking bar with no more than 60% cacao. This adds a bittersweet flavor and melts very easily into warm cream.

Instructions

Step 1

I begin with all of the items that need to be warmed so that they have time to cool while I prepare the other ingredients. It is very important to work with everything completely cooled. The biggest challenge when making a zuccotto is having a firmly set cream center to hold up the cake. 

• Chop almonds, leaving some larger pieces and some very fine pieces.
• Place chopped almonds into a small pan and warm on medium heat. Stir occasionally for 3-5 minutes, until the nuts are lightly toasted. You will know the almonds are done when you can smell a faint scent. 
• Remove from the heat and let the chopped nuts cool completely.

Step 2

• Chop the semi-sweet chocolate bar into fine slivers and place in a heat resistant bowl. The smaller the chocolate pieces are, the easier they are to melt.
• Warm half of a cup of whipping cream in the microwave for 45 seconds. The cream should be hot, but not boiling. If the cream bubbles, then it is too hot and needs to cool before using because the excess heat will cause your mixture to split.

Step 3

• Make chocolate ganache.
• Combine warm cream and chopped chocolate. Stir until all of the chocolate is melted and completely integrated into the cream. You will have a smooth ganache. 
• Cool to room temperature before using. Do not chill in the refrigerator because it will be too stiff to fold into the whipped cream.

Step 4

• Make sweetened vanilla whipped cream.
• In a large bowl, beat 2 cups of cream with whisk attachment, slowly adding sugar, and vanilla. 
• Whip on high until stiff peaks form.

Step 5

• Add cooled chocolate ganache to whipped cream and fold together until you have a smooth chocolate cream.

Step 6

• Cut very thin slices off of the end of each pound cake and save for patches and the bottom of the zuccotto.
• Next, cut both cakes into ⅓ inch, even slices. 
• Take the square slices and cut them in half on the diagonal.
• Brush one side of the diagonal slices with amaretto.

Step 7

• Line a 10 inch bowl with plastic wrap.
• Then, starting at the center, lay the pound cake pieces in the bowl fitting them together like a puzzle. Fill the bowl nearly to the top..
• Cut small pieces fill any large gaps.

Step 8

• Fill with chocolate cream.

Step 9

• Next, add a layer of toasted almonds.

Step 10

• Use the remaining pound cake to cover the cream and make the bottom. 
• Cover the zuccotto with plastic wrap and chill for two hours.

Step 11

• Once the chocolate almond cream cake is completely chilled, unwrap the bottom of the cake and turn out onto your cake plate.

Step 12

• Mix together powdered sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder and sift over the top of the Zuccotto Fiorentino before serving. Slice and serve chilled with a hot cup of coffee.

FAQs

Tips For Success

• Work with all of your ingredients completely cooled off. Hot ingredients will leave you with a runny center and a collapsed zuccotto friorentino.
• Start with the toasted nuts and the ganache so they have time to cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Don't add scalding or boiling cream to the chocolate because it will not mix properly.
• Do not put ganache in the refrigerator to chill. You only want it at room temperature. Ganache gets more solid as it gets colder and you won't be able to fold it into the whipped cream.
• Slowly add the sugar to the whipped cream so that the entire amount dissolves.
• Cut smaller pieces of the pound cake to fill in the gaps where angled pieces don't meet up evenly. 
• Make sure the bottom layer is completely covered. A strong base will make for a successful plating.
• Do not top with powdered sugar and cocoa until right before serving. The moisture from the cake will dissolve the powder and make a crust on the outside.

Related Recipes

• Homemade German Chocolate Cake with Pecan Frosting
• Cinnamon Cream, Cheese Carrot Cake
• Cinnamon Bake Pears

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