Yield: Serves 12

Ingredients

• Butter
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1 cup blanched whole almonds
• 2 ½ sticks butter (1/2 pound plus 4 tablespoons)
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 scant cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons Dutch cocoa
• Dash of salt
• Powdered sugar
• Whipped cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Coat a 10-inch round springform pan with butter. Line with parchment paper and then coat paper with butter.

3. Combine the chocolate morsels and the almonds in a food processor or blender and process until ground.

4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate mixture and beat well. Beat in the flour.

5. Bring the water almost to a simmer. Stir in the cocoa and salt until dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

6. Add the cocoa mixture to the bowl and beat until well blended.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick, inserted in the center, comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 1 hour. Remove the pan sides, sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar, and serve with the whipped cream.