This is a lovely, light, chocolate cake.
Mechanic
The beaten eggs and sugar are the only leavening: no flour, no baking powder. Beat until the mixture has tripled in volume and gone very pale; this is what lifts the cake. Ground almonds give it structure and a dense, fudgy crumb. Don’t overbake: the skewer test fails here. You want the crust firm and the interior still moist.
Ingredients
- 200 g dark chocolate (75–80% cocoa)
- 200 g unsalted butter, chopped
- 5 large eggs (or 6 medium)
- 200 g soft brown sugar
- 120 g ground almonds
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Cocoa powder, for dusting
Method
Heat the oven to 170°C fan, or 190°C (375°F) conventional. Line a 23 cm (9 in) cake tin with baking parchment.
Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl with the butter. Set over a saucepan with a few centimetres of simmering water. Melt slowly, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove from heat immediately.
Break the eggs into a large bowl. Add the brown sugar and beat with an electric whisk until very pale and tripled in volume, about 4 minutes (8–10 minutes by hand).
Pour in the chocolate-butter mixture and whisk to combine.
Sprinkle over the ground almonds, salt, and vanilla. Whisk until just incorporated.
Pour into the prepared tin, scraping out every drop with the spatula.
Bake 30–35 minutes, until the top is firm and no longer jiggles. If you can feel liquid under the crust, give it 5 more minutes.
Cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes before turning out.
To serve
With whipped cream sweetened with a little icing sugar, and a dusting of cocoa sifted over the top.
Notes
Improves on the second day. Stores well in a tin for 2–3 days.