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1
Grease with butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan.
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2
Melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave and mix it with the rum.
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3
Set aside.
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4
Measure the remaining ingredients before continuing.
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5
Cream the butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy, then beat in the egg yolks.
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6
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 C.) and make sure the oven rack is in the center of the oven.
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7
Clean the beaters of all fat and in a separate bowl whip the egg whites on low speed until they begin to foam.
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8
Add the cream of tartar and salt, and gradually increase beating speed to fast.
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9
When the egg whites hold their shape in a soft mass, beat in the 1/4 cup (60 ml) of sugar and continue beating until you can lift a bit of the mixture in a rubber spatula and they hold their shape, dropping off into a little point with a curling tip.
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10
The texture should be smooth and shiny, not dry.
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11
Set the egg whites aside.
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12
Stir up the chocolate to make a perfectly smooth soft cream.
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13
Stir the chocolate into the butter, sugar and yolk mixture.
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14
Add the almonds, almond extract and flour.
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15
With a rubber spatula, stir in one fourth of the beaten egg whites to soften the batter, then scoop the rest on top of the batter.
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16
Rapidly and delicately fold in the egg whites, revolving the bowl as you go, until egg whites and batter are blended.
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17
This should take not more than one minute.
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18
Turn the batter into the prepared pan, tilting pan in all directions so cake will bake evenly and not be larger in the center.
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19
Bake for 25 minutes.
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20
Cake is done when it has puffed to top of pan.
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21
Put foil over the top of the cake if it starts to get too brown.
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22
When cake is done, the center will still move slightly when pan is shaken.
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23
A toothpick plunged into the 2 1/2 to 3 inch outermost circumference of the cake (i.e.
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24
not in the center) should come out clean.
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25
If the cake is not quite done, bake a few minutes more.
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26
Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan, invert a cake rack over the top of the pan and turn the pan upside down to unmold the cake onto the rack.
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27
Allow cake to cool for 2 hours before icing.
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28
Melt the chocolate in the microwave and mix in the rum.
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29
Beat in the butter one tbsp at a time, beating until perfectly smooth.
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30
Then beat over cold water, if necessary, until icing is of spreading consistency.
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31
Ice the cake and decorate with slivered almonds, if desired.
