Chocolate Almond Torte

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Prep time: 50 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Serves: 12

Lillian Recktenwald of Murphys is allergic to wheat and was hoping for some wheat-free recipes for baked goods. Last week, the Mailbox featured two recipes for Recktenwald. Today, we have two more, from Kathleen Pitts of Gold River, who is wheat-intolerant.

This cake originated on the Italian island of Capri. It contains no flour, so it would be a good choice for those with celiac disease (gluten-intolerance) as well as those who are allergic to wheat. Pitts' mother was wheat-intolerant, too. This was her favorite cake.

• Ingredients:

1½ cups blanched, slivered almonds or 1¼ cups packaged ground almonds

1 cup sugar, divided use

8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

5 large eggs, separated

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon grated lemon peel

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled

¼ teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar

• Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch- diameter spring-form pan with 2¾-inch-high sides. Combine almonds and ª cup of the sugar in a food processor. Blend almonds until very finely ground. Transfer almond mixture to a medium bowl; do not clean food processor. Add chocolate and ª cup of the sugar to the food processor. Blend until chocolate is finely ground but not beginning to clump, about 45 seconds. Stir into almond mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and remaining ª cup of sugar in a large bowl until mixture falls in heavy ribbon when beaters are lifted, about five minutes. Beat in almond extract and lemon peel. Fold in chocolate-almond mixture, then butter.

Using clean, dry beaters, beat egg whites and salt in another large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into chocolate batter in three additions. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake at 350 degrees until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 40 minutes. Cool cake completely in pan on rack. (Can be made one day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.) Cut around sides of pan to loosen cake; release sides. Sift powdered sugar over cake and serve.

• Per serving: 361 calories; 7 grams protein; 33 grams carbohydrates; 24 grams fat (10 saturated, 11 monounsaturated, 3 polyunsaturated); 109 milligrams cholesterol; 80 milligrams sodium; 2 grams fiber; 29 grams sugar; 57 percent calories from fat