Nancy’s chocolate cake (gâteau au chocolat de Nancy)

Ingredients

• 125 g dark cooking chocolate (minimum 70 % cocoa solids)
• 125 g caster sugar
• 125 g butter, very soft
• 4 eggs, separated
• 25 g plain flour, sifted
• 100 g almond meal
• pinch of cream of tartar
• 50 g toasted flaked almonds
• icing sugar, for dusting
• 1 cup whipped cream
• ⅓ cup marmalade

Cooling time 10 minutes

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Butter and flour a 22 cm round or springform cake tin.

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

Combine half of the sugar and the softened butter, then stir into the melted chocolate. Stir in the egg yolks, then the flour and almond meal.

Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Beat in remaining sugar, then fold egg whites into chocolate mixture.

Pour batter into prepared tin and gently smooth surface. Bake for 35 minutes or until cake springs back in the centre when pressed with a fingertip. Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then very carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Scatter cake with flaked almonds, and dust with icing sugar. Serve with whipped cream and marmalade.

Photography by Benito Martin. Styling by Sarah O’Brien. Food preparation by Alice Storey.

Props by Hayden Youlley Design.

In-video photography by Peter Warren.