Gluten Free Chocolate Almond Birthday Cake

This is one of my best gluten free chocolate cakes, it doesn't actually use any flour at all but ground almonds and cocoa powder. This produces a rich, moist cake which has pleased lots of people, most of them NOT gluten-free. I use dark 70% chocolate, which I love but it is too intense for some people, so you could substitute some of the dark chocolate for white chocolate. The method can be a little time consuming but the results are worth it for a special occasion. Separating eggs contributes to the light texture, it also leaves you with 2 extra egg whites. Bake immediately after mixing.

Ingredients
180g dark 70% chocolate
180g unsalted butter
200g ground almonds
8 eggs
1 vanilla pod
200g caster sugar
1 tablespoon caster sugar
60g cocoa powder.

Preheat the oven to 150 or gas 2.
Use a 23cm springform tin.

In a bowl over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter together and cool. [You could use a microwave]
Separate 6 of the eggs. [You will only use 4 of the whites, so store the extra 2 whites]
Use 6 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs and whisk with 200g of the sugar until pale and creamy.
Sieve the cocoa powder and fold into the egg yolk mix.
Now add the melted chocolate and butter mixture.
Fold in the ground almonds to the egg yolk mix and add the vanilla seeds [or paste]
Whisk the 4 egg whites to a soft peak and add 1 tablespoon caster sugar.
Fold a tablespoon of the egg white mixture to the chocolate mix to loosen it up.
Carefully fold in the egg whites in 2 batches.
Bake for 25 mins.
Leave in tin until cool and turn out.

Shiny Chocolate Glaze
If the cake is refrigerated, the glaze will loose its shine. You can restore shine by putting it briefly in a warm oven.

Ingredients
225g chocolate
110g butter
85g golden syrup /corn syrup
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier/ Cassis or your favourite liquer

Melt the chocolate carefully in a bowl over a pot of simmering water [or use the microwave]
In another pot, melt the butter and golden syrup together.
Cool slightly, then add to the chocolate,
Stir to combine and pour over cake.