Chocolate Marzipan Cake

You’ll Need:

1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter
plus more for greasing pan
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
8 ounces marzipan
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
6 large eggs
1 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 cups fresh raspberries or other fruit
1 teaspoon confectioners’ sugar

Procedures : Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch springform tube pan, and sprinkle flaked coconut around its bottom and sides.

Soften marzipan by heating it in a microwave oven, 10 to 15 seconds.

In a food processor, combine marzipan, 8 ounces butter, the sugar and coconut extract. Process until mixture is very smooth. With processor running, break eggs one at a time through the feed tube. Stop processor and sprinkle cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt evenly over batter. Process again until mixture is smooth, making sure there are no lumps in batter.

Pour mixture into prepared baking pan. Bake until surface is golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to cool in pan until slightly warm.

To release cake from pan, remove springform ring. Holding a cake plate over the center tube of pan, invert cake so that it falls onto plate. Fill center of cake with berries and scatter remainder around perimeter of cake. Pass confectioners’ sugar through a small sieve and sprinkle over cake and fruit. Serve immediately.

Yield: 8 to 10 slices