Serves: 10
Total Calories: 649

Cake
2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs white large, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs yolk large
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 cup almonds finely chopped blanched slivered
Chocolate Glaze
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Topping
32 to 36 strawberries fresh medium-sized
3 tablespoons water
2 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup strawberry preserves

1. Heat oven to 350°. Cover bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil, tucking ends under bottom. Insert in pan. Grease bottom and inside of pan.

2. To make cake, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Beat egg whites in a small bowl with electric mixer until stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted. Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, beat in milk, vanilla, and almond extract (mixture will look curdled). Beat in flour mixture, then nuts. By hand, gently fold in beaten egg whites until no white streaks remain. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 55 to 60 minutes until cake begins to pull away from side of pan and a toothpick inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Loosen cake from outer ring of pan with a sharp knife. Remove ring. Cool cake completely. Invert cake onto a flat serving plate. Remove bottom of pan. Brush excess crumbs from cake. If not using immediately, wrap in aluminum foil to prevent drying.

3. To make glaze, melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan overlow heat. Remove from heat. Beat in milk and corn syrup until smooth and glossy. Quickly spread warm glaze over top and side of cake. Let stand until set, about 45 minutes.

4. To decorate cake, rinse and hull strawberries. Let dry, stem-side down, on paper towels. Arrange berries, stem-side down, on top of cake. In a small saucepan, stir water and cornstarch until dissolved. Stir in preserves and food color. Bring to a boil over low heat. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes until shiny and slightly thickened. Press mixture through a sieve with a rubber scraper to remove pulp. Cool slightly. Spoon a small amount of glaze over each berry, allowing some of the glaze to drizzle down side of cake. Let stand until set, about 30 minutes. Cut into wedges with a serrated knife.

Nutritional Facts:

Serves: 10
Total Calories: 649
Calories from Fat: 224

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