Cookbook

Preheat oven to 350 F. Set rack in middle of oven. Prepare 8" diameter cake pan by smearing butter all over, then coat in flour. Melt chocolate chips with coffee in double boiler: heat water before setting chocolate into it, and remove from the burner once the chocolate is added. Stir chocolate with a rubber spatula until it begins to melt, then leave alone. Can also be done in microwave.

Measure out all the rest of the ingredients (from 1 stick of butter to flour) BEFORE STARTING PREPARING THE BATTER. Speed is of essence.

Cream butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy. Beat in the 3 egg yolks. Put egg whites in mixer and whip on low speed until they begin to foam. Add cream of tartar and salt and increase speed to fast. As soon as they hold their shape beat in the 2 Tbsp of sugar and continue beating briefly until they are smooth, shiny and hold the tip.

Stir in the chocolate so you have a smooth cream (you may have to reheat the water if the chocolate has cooled too much; if it's granular, beat in a few drops of water). Stir chocolate mixture into the butter, sugar, yolk mixture. Then stir in the ground almonds, almond extract and flour.

With rubber spatula, stir in one fouth of the beaten egg whites to soften the batter, then scoop rest of whites on top of batter and delicately fold them in until all is blended. Do this as rapidly as possible.

Turn batter into cake pan making sure batter goes out to sides so there is not a hump in the middle. Set cake in middle of oven and bake for about 25'. Cake is done when it has puffed to top of pan and a toothpick inserted into area 2 1/2" from edge of pan comes out clean. Do not bake until totally dry in center or it won't have that lush texture.Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10'. Run a knife around edge and turn out onto a rack to finish cooling. Put on cake plate, dust with powdered sugar and serve with raspberry sauce.

Ginny Adelsheim