CHOCOLATE AND ALMOND TORTE

Ingredients.......250gm of 70% cocoa chocolate, broken into pieces, 250gm of butter/ marg, chopped, 6 eggs separated, 125gm of castor sugar, 50gm of almond meal. Preheat your oven to 190 deg C. Lightly grease a 23cm springform cake pan (I also use a baking paper liner, but it is not essential). Melt the chocolate and butter/ marg in a small saucepan over a low heat. Stir until combined then remove from the heat and leave to cool. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate clean and dry bowl place the egg whites and whisk until they form stiff peaks. Now, gradually pour the cooled and melted chocolate into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Using a large spoon fold in the almond meal, followed by the egg whites until they are just combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. The torte will be moist and soft in the middle but do not cook it any longer. Remove the torte from the oven and leave in the pan to cool completely before removing the springform sides. Serve with ice cream or a dollop of creme fraiche.