Chocolate Almond Cake by Zarnak Sidhwa

Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter 3/4 cup
• Cocoa 1/4 cup
• Flour 1/2 cup
• Baking powder 1/2 tsp
• Salt a pinch
• Blanched almonds (toasted, cooled and ground) 1 cup
• Caster sugar 1 cup
• Egg whites 5
• Vanilla essence 1-1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Line rimmed baking sheet with non-stick baking paper or silicone baking mat.
2. Using pastry brush, grease ten 3-inch ring moulds with softened butter.
3. Dust with cocoa and arrange on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 1-inch apart.
4. In small saucepan, melt butter until it begins to brown and smells nutty, about 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
6. Sift cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
7. Add ground almonds and sugar to cocoa mixture and whisk together until combined well.
8. Add egg whites, one at a time, whisking until just combined after each addition (do not over mix). Stir vanilla essence into the cooled butter. Gradually pour the vanilla-butter in a thin, steady stream into the batter, whisking to just combine.
9. Divide batter evenly between the prepared ring moulds.
10. Use the back of a small spoon to spread batter evenly to edges of moulds.
11. Bake at 180 degrees C or until a cake tester inserted in the centre of the cakes comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack.
13. Let stand 5 minutes, remove rings and transfer cakes to wire rack.
14. Let stand until cooled completely.
15. Line rimmed baking sheet with non-stick baking paper or silicone baking mat.
16. Arrange cakes on baking sheet, spacing 1-inch apart.