Rich and Crumbly Chocolate Torte (Gluten Free)

This is a torte, which means that it doesn’t contain any wheat flourand doesn’t involve pastry of any kind. As a result, this delicious cake can be enjoyed by all, regardless of any wheat aversions you or your friends may have.

Step 1 

First, preheat your oven to 160C/140C fan/Gas 2. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform tin (or whatever you have) with a circle of baking paper, then grease the sides with plenty of butter. 

Step 2 

Melt your butter in a saucepan over a low heat – once it has just melted, set the pan aside to cool whilst you do the rest. It’s important to do this first, for adding the butter too hot will scramble your eggs. 

Step 3

Blend your dark chocolate in a food processor or blender until finely ground – about the consistency of your ground almonds. You might want to do this in batches if your food processor is anything like mine (tiny). 

Step 4

Into a large bowl, weigh your caster sugar and eggs. Whisk these together using an electric mixer on its highest speed – you want to go for at least 10 minutes. They should be light and fluffy and stiff and hugely increased in volume 

Step 5

Turn your speed down and gently mix in your melted butter. Then, fold in your ground up chocolate and almonds until completely combined – try not to get rid of all that air you whipped into your eggs. Gently. 

Step 6

Transfer your mix to your prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes. When checking whether it’s done, don’t prod the top too hard or your finger will go through. It will be coming away from the sides of the tin and won’t wobble when shaken when baked. 

Step 7

Leave to cool in the tin, then when ready to serve (warm or cold) slice and serve with raspberries, dusted in icing sugar. 

Top Tip

The key to this bake is its rise in the oven – this is achieved through conscientious whisking of the eggs and sugar. Seriously, when I say 10 minutes, I mean it. They should be so light and fluffy; they’re almost like a meringue. 

Enjoy!