Flourless Chocolate & Prune Torte

Put the prunes with the Armagnac or rum in a small pan and bring to a simmer, then cook for 2-3 minutes or until half of the liquid is gone. Remove from the heat and blend to a puree with a hand-held blender. Leave to cool. 

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Lightly grease a 9-inch non-stick loose-bottomed cake tin and line the base with parchment paper.

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and allow to melt, then remove the bowl from the pan and leave to cool. 

Place half of the sugar and the butter into a large bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat together until pale and creamy. Beat in the egg yolks followed by the melted chocolate and prune puree. 

Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until you have achieved soft peaks, then whisk in the remaining sugar until stiff. Gently fold the ground almonds into the meringue, then gently fold into the chocolate mixture in two batches. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick pushed into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Cut into slices and arrange on plates with dollops of fresh whipped cream to serve.