Amaretti is strictly translated as “little bitters,” but colloquially it refers to light, airy, crunchy, dome-shaped almond cookies. The cookies are great on their own, but I also love them as an ingredient in a cake; the soft cake batter and the crunchy cookie provide a wonderful contrast. So when you can’t decide whether to have cookies or cake, just have both.

　　

Ingredients

6 servings

　　Butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray

　　3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

　　1 cup slivered almonds

　　1 cup (about 2 ounces) baby amaretti cookies

　　1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature

　　2/3 cup sugar

　　2 teaspoons grated orange zest (from approximately 1 orange)

　　4 large eggs

　　About 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, for sifting

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch spring-form pan with nonstick spray and refrigerate.

　　

Step 2

In a small bowl, microwave the chocolate chips, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes.

　　

Step 3

In a food processor, combine the almonds and cookies, and pulse until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl. Add the butter, sugar, and orange zest to the processor and blend until creamy and smooth. With the machine running, add the eggs one at a time. Add the nut mixture and the melted chocolate. Pulse until blended.

　　

Step 4

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the center puffs and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Transfer to a platter, sift the cocoa powder over, and serve.

　　Reprinted with permission from Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Copyright © 2005 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.