Tasty almond cake

Rich almond and chocolate flavors add sophistication to this almond cake. This wonderful walnut cake is perfect for the holiday table.

Ingredients

• Dark chocolate - 200 g
• Espresso coffee - 1 tbsp. l. + 2 tsp
• Ground almonds - 3 cups
• Sugar 3/4 tbsp. + 1/3 cup
• Flour - 1/4 cup
• Baking powder - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Large eggs - 6 pcs.
• Almond extract - 1/2 tsp
• Whipping cream - 2 1/2 cups

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease a cake tin, line with parchment paper and sprinkle with flour. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate with 1 tbsp. l. espresso coffee (powder) and 1/4 cup water. Bring to uniformity. Remove from stove. In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, grind 2 cups almonds with 1/4 cup sugar. In a small bowl, mix the resulting nut mixture with flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar (2 tablespoons at a time). Beat until stable peaks. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks, chocolate mixture and almond extract on medium speed. Mix the nut and chocolate mass and gently fold in the egg whites. Pour the dough into the form, smooth over the entire surface. Bake 45-50 minutes. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes, put it out of the mold on a wire rack, remove the paper and leave for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, grind (coarsely) the remaining 1 cup almonds. In a small frying pan, fry the crushed walnuts until golden brown, cool. With a large sharp knife cut the cake horizontally into 3 pieces. In a glass, dilute 2 tsp. espresso with 1 tbsp. l. hot water.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream on high speed, 1/3 tbsp. sugar and dissolved espresso. Lubricate the cakes with cream.
3. Grease the cake over the entire surface with cream, and sprinkle the sides with ground almonds. The top can also be decorated with walnut. Place the almond cake in the refrigerator to chill.