- 12
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs
- 1 8 oz. pkg. bittersweet chocolate squares or bars
- 2 T. butter
- 2 T. milk
- 1 C. sliced natural almonds
- 2 T. unsifted all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2/3 C. granulated sugar
- 1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
- Confectioners' sugar (optional)
Preparation
Step 1
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Separate eggs, placing whites in large bowl and yolks in small bowl; warm to room temperature.
3. In heavy 2-quart saucepan over low heat or microwave-safe bowl in microwave oven, heat chocolate and butter to melting, stirring until smooth. Stir in milk and remove from heat; set aside.
4. In shallow baking pan or rimmed baking sheet, spread out almonds, Bake almonds 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once. Remove almonds from oven; cool. Grease and flour 10-inch spring form pan; set aside.
5. In food processor fitted with chopping blade, process almonds until finely ground. In small bowl, combine almonds, flour, and baking powder.
6. With electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; gradually beat in 1/3 C. granulated sugar until stiff peaks form. Set beaten eggs whites aside. With same beaters beat eat egg yolks with remaining 1/3 C. granulated sugar until thick and pale yellow-about 5 minutes.
7. Stir beaten yolks into melted chocolate mixture. Stir in almond mixture. With rubber spatula, fold about 1 C. beaten egg whites into chocolate-almond-yolk mixture until well combined, then fold yolk mixture into remaining egg whites. Pour. cake batter into prepared pan spreading evenly.
8. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake on wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan. Remove rim and allow cake to cool completely.
9. Transfer cake to serving plate. In small strainer, sift cocoa over top of cake. If desired, draw a 6~inch leaf shape on an 81/2- by l l-inch sheet of paper. With scissors or razor, carefully cut out leaf shape, Place sheet of paper with cutout leaf, or stencil, on top of cake. In clean, dry sifter or strainer, sift confectioner's sugar over leaf stencil. Carefully remove stencil. With toothpick, draw in lines to resemble the veins of a leaf.