Ingredients
1 hour (15-20 minutes hands on + 40 minutes baking) 
1 x 23cm/10" round cake - 220g dark/bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 200g salted butter, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup dark dutch processed cocoa
- ⅓ cup hot water
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1½ cups almond meal
- 2 tbs (30ml) coffee liqueur or shot of espresso
- 1 tbs vanilla extract or paste
- ½ tsp salt
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (fan forced).
- Grease and line a 23cm/10" round springform cake tin with baking paper.
- In a medium saucepan add the chocolate, butter, cocoa, and hot water, and stir over low heat until melted and smooth.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the brown sugar directly to the chocolate mixture, then stir through.
- Now whisk in the egg yolks.
- Next add the almond meal, coffee liquor, vanilla, and salt, and stir to combine.
- Using a stand mixer or by hand whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
- Fold half of the egg-white mixture into the chocolate mixture.
- Then fold in the remaining egg whites.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin.
- Bake at 180°C/350°F for 40 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool before removing it from the pan.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with a sprinkling of sea salt and some vanilla whipped cream or ice cream. You could also serve the cake cold from the fridge. Enjoy!
