Flourless Chocolate and Raspberry Torte

Place the butter and the chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. The steam will heat and melt the chocolate and butter. Stir it every so often until melted and smooth. Alternately, place in a microwave safe bowl, cover loosely and heat on 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until melted and smooth. This should take about 2 minutes. I used the microwave. Leave it to cool whilst getting the rest of the ingredients ready.

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F. Line the base and sides of a 23 cm/9″ springform baking tin with waxed paper using a little butter to help it stick to the tin.

Whip the egg whites in a large grease free bowl until foamy, using a mixer on a medium setting. Add the balsamic vinegar and whisk briefly. Increase the setting to high and start adding half the sugar very gradually. The mixture will start getting glossy and increase greatly in volume. Keep going until you get to the stiff peaks stage (when you pull your beaters out, the mixture forms a peak that doesn’t flop over). Set aside while you get on with the egg yolks.

In another clean bowl, whip the egg yolks with the other half the sugar for about 3 or 4 minutes scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time. The mixture will turn from gloopy and bright orange to a pale, thick and creamy mass. Add the espresso powder and the salt and whip to incorporate. Add the cooled but still liquid chocolate/butter mixture and whip again until it is evenly mixed.

Using a large metal spoon, fold the egg whites into the yolk/chocolate mixture in 3 batches. The first batch is really to temper or loosen up and lighten the yolk/chocolate mixture. Carefully fold in the remaining whites trying to keep as much of the volume as you can.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and top with the raspberries, pushing them in slightly.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out without any batter clinging to it. Remove from oven.

Cool in the pan, on a wire rack. It should collapse in the middle with a crisp meringue like shell and a fudgy centre, studded with raspberries. Serve in small slices with a little cream and a few fresh raspberries.

Notes: While the torte is straightforward enough to make, there are a few crucial points that would be remiss of me not to highlight;
1. Take some time to line the sides and base of the tin with waxed paper.
2. The eggs must be at room temperature—they will not whip up to the volume required otherwise.
3. Ensure that the bowl and beaters for the egg whites are scrupulously clean—any bits of grease or egg yolk and they will not whip up and have good volume.
4. Unless you have 2 sets of beaters, start with the whites first and then move onto the yolks.
5. Use large bowls—the whites whip up to 4-5 times their original volume.
6. When you are whipping the whites, add the sugar a little at a time.
7. Use a large metal spoon to fold in the egg whites—rubber spatulas destroy the volume.
8. When folding the second and third batches of egg whites, be gentle—don’t knock out the air. The whites are the only leavening agent.