Chocolate Almond Cake

• 125g bittersweet chocolate
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• 1 tablespoon black coffee
• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g castor sugar
• 100g ground almonds
• 3 eggs separated
• icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.
2. Butter an 18cm round cake tin and line with baking paper. (A non leaky springform pan would be good as this cake is very fragile and often cracks when turned out.)
3. Combine chocalate, brandy and coffee in a bowl over water or in a double boiler.
4. Stir when melted and add butter and sugar. Mix well.
5. Add ground almonds and stir very well.
6. Lightly beat egg yoks and stir into bowl off the heat.
7. Beat egg whites until firm.
8. Lighten chocolate mixture with a spoonful of egg white, then fold in the rest of whites.
9. Spoon into prepared tin.
10. Bake for 40 -45 minutes. The cake will test a little gooey in the centre, but will have developed a crust.
11. Cool completely in the tin.
12. Carefully invert onto a serving plate.
13. Dust with icing sugar.