Ingredients

• 2 cups Cane Sugar
• 2 cups Water
• 4 oz Bittersweet Chocolate about 60%
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1/2 tsp Espresso or Coffee Powder
• 1 1/2 cups Unbleached White Fine Pastry Flour
• 1/2 cup Natural Almond Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 tsp Almond Extract

• 1 cup Cream
• 3/4 cup Evaporated Cane Sugar
• 3 1/2 oz Unsweetened Chocolate
• 2 oz Bittersweet Chocolate about 60%
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

• chopped Salted Almonds* see Note
• Salted Chocolate Bar broken into chunks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper and spray the sides with pan spray.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring sugar and water to a simmer and cook until sugar dissolves. Immediately remove from heat and add chocolate, butter and espresso powder. Whisk to emulsify and let cool.
3. While the chocolate mixture is cooling, combine cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
4. Once chocolate mixture has cooled, whisk in eggs and extracts. Add about 1 cup of the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture and fold gently until combined, then continue to add the remaining chocolate mixture, folding gently until combined. This is a very loose batter.
5. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans, about 2 cups per pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool before carefully removing from the pan.
6. While the cake bakes, prepare the frosting. In a large bowl, combine the chocolates, butter and vanilla extract, and set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the cream and sugar and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Let cool for at least 1 hour before using. Cakes and frosting can be used once cooled or they can be rest overnight, keeping the cakes chilled and the frosting at room temperature.
7. To assemble, spread a layer of frosting on the top of one cake round and sprinkle generously with salted almonds. Place the second cake round on top of the first and frost the entire cake with the remaining frosting. Decorate the top of the cake with the chocolate bar chunks and the remaining salted almonds.