Mocha Java Cake

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 10-inch tube pan and then dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.

Bring 1 inch water to a simmer in the bottom of a double boiler or saucepan. Place the chocolate and 1 1/2 cups butter in the top of the double boiler or in a heatproof bowl placed over the pan. Heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

In a bowl, stir together the 3 cups flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat the sugar into the melted chocolate-butter mixture until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating while slowly adding the espresso and the vanilla and almond extracts.

Add the dry ingredients and mix just until all the flour disappears. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan; it will come almost to the top. Smooth the top, making sure the batter is evenly distributed in the pan.

Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cake rest in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto a cake plate. Let cool to room temperature before serving.