Ingredients
200g block dark cooking chocolate, chopped
125g unsalted butter, chopped
4 eggs, at room temperature, separated
½ cup caster sugar
1 cup almond meal
250g punnet strawberries, hulled, quartered
Ferrero Rocher chocolates, to serve
50g dark chocolate, melted, to decorate
Method
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Grease a 20cm x 22cm heart-shaped springform pan. Line base and side with baking paper, extending paper 2cm above pan edge.
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Place chocolate and butter in a large, heatproof bowl. Sit bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Cool completely.
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Beat yolks and sugar in a small bowl of an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add to chocolate mixture with almond meal. Fold gently to combine.
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Beat egg whites in same, clean bowl of electric mixer until soft peaks form. In two batches, fold into chocolate mixture until just combined. Pour into prepared pan.
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Cook in a moderately slow oven (160C) for about 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from oven. Cool completely in pan.
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To serve, remove side of pan. Transfer cake to a serving plate. Decorate with strawberries and chocolates. Spoon chocolate into a medium snap-lock bag and squeeze into one corner. Twist bag and snip tip of corner. Drizzle over top.
TIP! Almond meal can be replaced with hazelnut meal, for a change. Cake will sink slightly on standing. It can be made up to four days ahead. Store in an airtight container. Decorate before serving.
