INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Makes One 9-Inch Cake  During the 1600s, England commemorated a day
called Mothering Sunday,  as celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent in
honor of the mothers of  England. Class structures were abandoned on
Mothering Sunday and  servants would have the day off from their
duties. All were  encouraged to return home and spend the day with
their mothers. A  special cake, called the mothering cake, was often
brought along to  provide a festive touch for the occasion.  Today's
flour-less cake recipe is not for novice bakers, as it is  rumored to
be the current Queen Mother's favorite chocolate cake. Try  it out on
your Mom this Mother's Day, as she is your Queen for a Day!  Toast
almonds in a single layer on a cookie sheet in a 350-F degree  oven for
about 15-minutes or until the almonds are lightly colored  and
fragrant. Make sure to shake the pan occasionally to turn almonds
while toasting.  Pre-heat oven to 375-F degrees. Spray the bottom of a
9-inch spring  form pan with a non-stick cooking spray. Dust lightly
with flour or  very fine, dry bread crumbs. Shake out any excess and
set prepared  pan aside.  Warm chopped chocolate in the top of a small
double boiler over warm  water set at moderate heat. Cover until
partially melted, then stir  until smooth. Set aside to cool to room
temperature. Reserve 1/2 cup  sugar and place the remaining 1/4 cup
sugar with the almonds in a  food processor or blender and chop until
nuts are fine and powdery.  Set aside.  In a large mixing bowl beat the
butter until soft. Add 1/4 cup of  sugar and reserve the remaining 1/4
cup sugar for use later. Beat  sugar and butter until thoroughly
combined. Add the egg yolks, one at  a time, and continue to beat until
smooth. Add the melted chocolate  and blend on low speed until
combined. Add almonds and continue to  beat mixture on a low speed
setting.  In a clean bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites with
salt and  lemon juice. Start on low speed and gradually increase until
the egg  whites hold a soft shape. Reduce speed again and add remaining
1/4  cup sugar. Then on high speed, beat egg whites to soft peaks.
Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture about one-third
at a time until blended. Pour the cake batter into the prepared  spring
form pan an quickly rotate to level the batter. Bake for  20-minutes at
375-F degrees, then reduce heat to 350-F degrees and  continue to bake
an additional 50-minutes. Remove cake from pan when  cooled, after
about 1-hour.  To prepare the icing, scald the heavy cream in a
saucepan over medium  heat until a thin skin forms on the top. Add the
espresso or coffee  powder and whisk to dissolve. Add the chocolate and
whisk to  dissolve, for about a minute or two. Remove from heat and
continue to  stir to finish melting the chocolate. Let icing cool for
about  15-minutes, then pour over the top of the cake, starting at the
center. Gently push the icing with a spatula over the sides to  dribble
down the cake. Top with shaved chocolate, or whipped cream  just prior
to serving. A fresh strawberry is an optional garnish with  each served
slice.  Posted to dailyrecipe@recipe-a-day.com by The Cook & Kitchen
Staff  <dailyrecipe-owner@recipe-a-day.com> on May 02, 1998

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