Seriously Chocolaty Chocolate Cake

Got this amazing recipe from the best-selling UK Good Food Magazine a while ago! This is seriously too good to be true...

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 8
• Yields: 8 slices

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup butter (cubed)
•  flour, for dusting
• 5  ounces  best quality dark chocolate, you can find (broken into pieces)
• 6  large eggs, separated
• 5  ounces  ground almonds (1/2cup + 2 tbsp.)
• 1  tablespoon kirsch or 1  tablespoon Cointreau liqueur (optional)
• 1  pinch salt
• 6  tablespoons sugar
•  cocoa powder, to serve

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 170C.
2. Grease a 23cm/9inch springform cake pan and the line the base with greaseproof paper.
3. Dust the sides with a bit of flour.
4. Melt chocolate and butter (in a heatproof bowl) over a pan of gently simmering water or you can use the microwave.
5. Heat until melted, remove bowl from heat and stir until smooth.
6. Set aside for around 5 minutes for it to cool.
7. Stir in the egg yolks, ground almonds, and the liquuer.
8. Put the egg whites into a large bowl, add the salt, and whisk until soft peaks form.
9. Continue whisking, sprinkling in the sugar a little at a time, until stiff peaks form.
10. Stir 2 tbsp.
11. of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the remainder until not traces of white are left.
12. Carefully pour mixture into the pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until well risen and firm to touch.
13. Let it cool in the pan (it's ok if the cake sinks and cracks a little).
14. To serve, dust the surface of the cake with cocoa powder and cut into slices.