Cake Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Almonds; Skinned
6 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate; Chopped
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
6 oz. Sweet Butter (Unsalted)
6 large Eggs; Yolks and Whites Separated
1 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice

Icing Ingredients:
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2 tsp. Instant Espresso or Coffee Powder
8 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate; Chopped

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 nu`` 
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.