Flourless Chocolate Almond Torte Recipe

Preheat oven to 300F and grease a 9" springform pan well then line with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler over hot water. When the chocolate is almost melted and smooth, turn off the heat and leave chocolate to cool slowly.

Meanwhile beat the butter with 1/4 cup sugar until the mixture is fluffy and almost white. Add egg yolks and beat for 1 minute. Add almonds and cognac and beat 2 more minutes.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until the whites are stiff and shiny.

Add the cooled chocolate to the egg yolk mixture and mix with a rubber spatula until well mixed. Fold in 1/4 of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate to lighten the batter. Carefully fold in the remaining whites trying not to deflate the whites.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 25 - 30 minutes or until a tester comes out covered in thick, moist, not wet, crumbly coating. Allow cake to cool 30 minutes in pan before removing sides. Serve with whipped cream and raspberries if desired.