Flourless Chocolate-orange Almond Cake

Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 1 1/4 cups whole almonds (about 6-7 oz.)
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 teaspoons fresh grated orange peel
• 6 large eggs, seperated
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or 1 tsp extract)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees f. brush bottom of 10-inch springform pan generously with butter or margarine.
• 2 blend almonds and 1/4 cup sugar in food processor until almonds are finely ground. add chocolate; blend until chocolate is finely ground.
• 3 whisk cocoa, orange juice and orange peel in small bowl until smooth.
• 4 in another bowl, combine egg yolks and 1/2 cup + 2 tbs. sugar. scrape in seeds from vanilla bean.
• 5 using an electric mixer, beat until yolk mixture is very thick, about 4 minutes.
• 6 beat in cocoa mixture. fold in ground-almond mixture.
• 7 using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites and salt in another large bowl until soft peaks form. gradually add 2 tbs. sugar, beating until whites are stiff but not dry.
• 8 fold whites into chocolate batter in 3 additions. transfer to prepared pan.
• 9 bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
• 10 cool cake completely in pan on rack. if making a day ahead of time, cover with foil and store at room temperature.