Flourless Chocolate Cake

My lovely friend, Judi, made a flourless chocolate cake for my birthday. Dark cooking chocolate and large eggs make this cake light and delicious.

Melt together in heatproof bowl over simmering water:

120g butter

200g dark cooking chocolate

100g sugar

1 Tab brandy

1 Tab strong black coffee

100g ground almonds/almond meal (or hazelnuts)

4 large eggs (separated)

Preheat the oven to 180C (360F). Stir chocolate, sugar, brandy and black coffee until smooth. Stir in 100g almond meal (ground almonds) or hazelnuts, then 4 egg yolks. Beat 4 egg whites until stiff but not dry, fold a spoonful of this into the chocolate mixture to lighten it then fold the rest of the egg whites and chocolate mixture all together. Bake in a greased and paper-lined 20cm tin for 30-40 minutes (Judi bakes her cake for 30 minutes - as her new oven seems extra hot). Cool the cake in the tin, turn out and then dust with icing sugar. It's extra nice served with thick cream.