Chocolate Almond Cake

This rich and moist cake is a family favourite and is also gluten-free. It’s wonderful to use as a celebration cake as it keeps well. Be sure to cut with a hot, sharp knife for a clean cut.

Prep:
20 minutes
Cook:
50 minutes
Serves:
1 cake

Ingredients

200g butter, chopped

200g dark chocolate (Trade Aid 55% cocoa), chopped

1 sachet Supreme instant coffee (or use 1 tsp instant coffee)

200g caster sugar

5 large eggs (size 7), separated

1 tsp vanilla extract

Finely grated zest 1 orange

200g ground almonds

2 Tbsp cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

Icing sugar or cocoa for dusting

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper, and spray with oil or grease with butter

Put the butter and chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and melt over a saucepan of simmering water. Cool slightly. Dissolve the instant coffee with 2 Tbsp boiling water and add to the chocolate

In an electric mixer whisk the sugar and egg yolks until thick and pale in colour. Slowly add in the chocolate, vanilla and orange zest and whisk well. Combine the ground almonds, cocoa and baking powder together and fold through the mix. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and fold through the chocolate in lots of three. Pour into the tin and bake for 50-60 mins. The middle should feel firm to touch with a bare wobble. Allow to cool in the tin (like all cakes with flour it will sink slightly)

To serve dust with icing sugar or cocoa

Swap it out:Any dark chocolate will work well here and you can use white or brown sugar (whatever’s in the pantry). You can omit the coffee and orange zest. Or replace the orange zest with lemon or grapefruit zest