Rich Flourless Chocolate Cake
Serves 8-10
250g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
150g unsalted butter, chopped
160g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
125g ground almonds
5 eggs, separated
Icing sugar, to dust
Ice-cream or thick cream, to serve
1. Preheat oven to 180°C (conventional). Grease a 23cm springform tin with butter and line base with non-stick baking paper.
2. Combine the chocolate, butter and sugar in a medium heatproof bowl. Place over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and stir frequently until melted and smooth. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the almond meal. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and beat well with a wooden spoon after each addition.
3. Place the eggwhites in a separate clean bowl. Use an electric beater to beat until firm peaks form. Add a third of the eggwhite to the chocolate mixture and use a large metal spoon to fold in until combined. Fold through the remaining eggwhite.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until crumbs cling to a skewer inserted into the centre. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin.
5. Dust the cake with icing sugar and serve with ice-cream or cream.