Contributed by Rachael, Ancesister @ Ancestreats.

With so many people going gluten-free, here is an end of dinner party clincher that can please folks with that dietary concern. Frankly, anyone who loves a dense decadent chocolate cake will consider it fantastic. It can be served all-year-long for a rich delicious adult dessert. It’s not my most popular cake with children; unless they are dark chocoholics. There is a nut allergy in my household, so I use almonds, which are tolerated. They add dimension to the flavor profile and a je ne sais quoi to the crumb texture.  If nuts aren’t an issue for you, walnuts would make a fine substitution.

My custom for my husband’s birthday is to bake him a chocolate cake, since it is his favorite. Every birthday he gets a different recipe, unless his birthday should fall on Passover. That’s when I pull this recipe out of my bag of tricks. It happens every few years, as it did this year (see that big number on the candles?). This recipe guarantees a chocolate cake for his celebration while observing the requirement of being unleavened.

If in a hurry, you can leave the cake naked as long as it is served with the whipped cream and berries.  If you have a few moments to spare dust it lightly with confectioner sugar through the holes of a doily acting like a stencil. Turn up the fancy button and cover it with the optional chocolate glaze from the recipe below. Throw it into a tuxedo by placing whole almonds (or walnuts if that’s what you used in the batter) in a decorative pattern across the top glazed surface. By the way, this glaze also dresses up Passover brownies, too.

CHOCOLATE ALMOND FLOURLESS TORTE 

10 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate broken into pieces to aid melting

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature (use margarine if you need to be Pareve about it)

½ cup granulated sugar

5 large eggs, separated (use 6 at high altitude)

1/3 cup finely ground almonds (just pulse in the food processor)

2 T {Kosher for Passover] cognac, dark rum or apricot brandy

Lightly sweetened whipped cream for garnish/decoration

Fresh strawberries or raspberries for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees (325 at high altitude) and grease a 9-inch spring form pan after lining it with baking parchment paper cut to the size of the round.

In your favorite double boiler (I simply use a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan) melt the chocolate. The water should neither touch the bottom of the bowl, nor be boiling; it simmers gently. Once the chocolate has melted, cool it slowly.

In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, beat the butter and ¼ cup sugar until it is white and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, give it a mix for a moment or two, and then add the almonds and liquor. Beat until it is evenly incorporated. Add the cooled chocolate to the egg yolk mixture slowly and mix until evenly combined. Use a rubber spatula and put this back into the chocolate bowl.

Wash, dry and replace the mixer bowl to the stand mixer. Add the egg whites and beat on high until foamy and gradually add the remaining sugar. You beat this until they are stiff and glossy. Using the spatula, fold in the whites to the other bowl. Do it in thirds. In the first round make sure it’s well incorporated but not deflated. With the two remaining portions of whites, add them gently and fold them in carefully so you don’t deflate them.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. The cake tester will come out with a damp but not wet coating. It continues to cook while cooling. Put the pan on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the edges from the pan, release the spring form, and carefully turn the cake out onto your serving plate. Peel off the parchment if it didn’t stick to the pan. Decorate with the glaze or confectioner sugar. Serve at room temperature, although it can be chilled (though who has room in the fridge when preparing a holiday meal, like a seder?) Serve with the whipped cream and berries.

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Chocolate Glaze (optional)

3 T sugar

2 T unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)

1/3 cup sweet Kosher wine (Concord grape is what we keep on hand)

2 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces

6 T unsalted butter (or Margarine if keeping pareve)

Whisk together sugar cocoa and wine in saucepan. Bring to one boil then simmer and give it an occasional whisk. Add the chocolate and whisk it in while it melts. Remove from heat and add the butter (margarine). It should be smooth. Place in the fridge and give it an occasional stir to make sure it doesn’t separate, and to check on how it thickens. It will become spreadable. Use a frosting knife and spread it over the cake. Use a fork or frosting comb to pull a pattern across the cake surface.