Page 64 - recipe book proofed May

Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake

Prep time:

 250g / 8 oz dark chocolate (I use Whittaker's 72% Cocoa
Dark Ghana), chopped
 2 tbsp brandy
 2 tbsp strong, hot black coffee
 200g / 6½ oz butter, chopped
 1 cup caster sugar / superfine sugar
 1 tsp vanilla extract
 1¾ cups ground almonds
 6 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 170°C / 340°F. Line the base and sides of a 23cm / 9-inch-
diameter springform cake tin with baking paper.

Combine chocolate, brandy and coffee in a large bowl over a pot of boiling water,
stirring as the chocolate melts. Add butter, sugar and vanilla and stir until butter
has melted. Remove from heat and stir in ground almonds. Lightly beat egg yolks
and stir into the chocolate mixture.

Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl and beat to firm peaks. Stir a big spoonful
of beaten egg white into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, then fold in the rest
of the egg whites.

Spoon into prepared tin and bake until risen and set (40-50 minutes). The cake will
still be a little gooey in the centre. It may look a little cracked as it develops a
crust and can be quite fragile, but this is normal.

Cool completely in the tin, then transfer to a serving plate. Garnish with chocolate
shavings, if using. It will keep in an airtight container for more than a week and
also freezes well.