Seriously Chocolaty Chocolate Cake

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter (cubed)
• flour, for dusting
• 5 ounces best quality dark chocolate, you can find (broken into pieces)
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 5 ounces ground almonds (1/2cup + 2 tbsp.)
• 1 tablespoon kirsch or 1 tablespoon cointreau liqueur (optional)
• 1 pinch salt
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• cocoa powder, to serve

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 170c.
• 2 grease a 23cm/9inch springform cake pan and the line the base with greaseproof paper.
• 3 dust the sides with a bit of flour.
• 4 melt chocolate and butter (in a heatproof bowl) over a pan of gently simmering water or you can use the microwave.
• 5 heat until melted, remove bowl from heat and stir until smooth.
• 6 set aside for around 5 minutes for it to cool.
• 7 stir in the egg yolks, ground almonds, and the liquuer.
• 8 put the egg whites into a large bowl, add the salt, and whisk until soft peaks form.
• 9 continue whisking, sprinkling in the sugar a little at a time, until stiff peaks form.
• 10 stir 2 tbsp.
• 11 of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the remainder until not traces of are left.
• 12 carefully pour mixture into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until well risen and firm to touch.
• 13 let it cool in the pan (it's ok if the cake sinks and cracks a little).
• 14 to serve, dust the surface of the cake with cocoa powder and cut into slices.