Flourless Chocolate-Orange Almond Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups whole almonds (about 6-7 oz.)
1 cup sugar, divided
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons fresh grated orange peel
6 large eggs, seperated
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or 1 tsp extract)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush bottom of 10-inch springform pan generously with butter or margarine.
Blend almonds and 1/4 cup sugar in food processor until almonds are finely ground. Add chocolate; blend until chocolate is finely ground.
Whisk cocoa, orange juice and orange peel in small bowl until smooth.
In another bowl, combine egg yolks and 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. sugar. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean.
Using an electric mixer, beat until yolk mixture is very thick, about 4 minutes.
Beat in cocoa mixture. Fold in ground-almond mixture.
Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites and salt in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 2 Tbs. sugar, beating until whites are stiff but not dry.
Fold whites into chocolate batter in 3 additions. Transfer to prepared pan.
Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.
Cool cake completely in pan on rack. If making a day ahead of time, cover with foil and store at room temperature.