[ MAKES 8–12 ]

So, apparently, coming from a foodie family instils fear into other people when they are tasked with feeding you. IS THIS PASTA OK? What about the SALAD? Let me watch your face while you eat, Izy. Mate, you’re giving me food! Food you’ve cooked! Hey, I like that! I’m not a food critic and I ain’t mean. Let’s just chill out. I’ve brought dessert, it’s a chocolate chip torte that’s so classy/un-classy that we’ll all forget about how stressful this was and focus on trying not to inhale and subsequently choke on the icing sugar dusted on top. Good times, good times.

Ingredients

4 eggs

¼ tsp salt

110 g (3¾ oz/½ cup) granulated sugar

110 g (3¾ oz/½ cup) unsalted butter

75 g (2½ oz/½ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

45 g (1½ oz/½ cup) ground almonds

1 tsp baking powder

110 g (3¾ oz/½ cup) crushed Amaretti biscuits

2 tbsp amaretto liqueur

75 g (2½ oz/½ cup) plain (bittersweet) chocolate chips (minimum 60% cocoa solids)

1 tbsp icing (confectioners’) sugar

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Line, grease and flour a 20 cm (8 in) tart or cake tin, as shown on How to Line, Grease and Flour Cake Tins.

Separate the eggs into 2 large bowls. Whisk the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks form, then continue to whisk while gradually adding half the granulated sugar until you get firm peaks.

Add the butter and remaining sugar to the bowl with the egg yolks and cream together until fluffy. Stir in the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, crushed Amaretti biscuits and the amaretto liqueur.

Stir one-quarter of the whisked egg whites into the almond mixture to loosen it. Add the rest of the egg whites and gently fold in using a rubber spatula.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 25 minutes and let cool completely in the tin before turning out onto a plate. Set a wire rack on top and then flip the whole thing over so that the torte is the right way up again. Dust with icing sugar and serve.