Heat oven to 175C/350 F. My preference is using bake function as fan forced cooks too quickly
Melt the chocolate over a double broiler or in the microwave ( taking care not to burn it if microwaving.) Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl beat the butter with the sweetener until light and creamy.
Separate the eggs and add the yolks to the butter mixture, beating until combined. Add the melted chocolate and the almond meal, cocoa and instant coffee to the butter mixture and continue to beat until well combined.
In a separate mixing bowl whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until fluffy peaks begin to form. Fold the egg whites gently into the chocolate batter until evenly distributed. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and smooth out the top.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top of the cake is slightly firm but a skewer in the middle comes out with a few crumbs but no wet batter. Take care not to over cook and don't allow the cake to brown on top. The cake is meant to be really soft on the inside when warm.
Leave the cake to sit in the pan for about 40 minutes to cool before turning it out of the pan as it can be a little fragile. Turn cake out carefully then flip back to the correct side.
Allow cake to cool slightly and dust with powdered sweetener.
Serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream. Fresh strawberries also taste delicious served with this cake. Serve hot or cold, although cake firms up as it cools. See notes below for the recipe for a ganache drizzle option.
Notes
Note that the heart cake pan featured is probably the equivalent of a 6-7 inch cake pan.Use dark chocolate of choice but remember the lower the couverture the more sugar it contains.Slightly undercook your cake rather than overcook. You want a moist, dense cake not a dry cake.Reduce oven temperature if your oven cooks hot and cover cake with foil if it is browning on top.Tastes delicious served warm or cold. To reheat cold cake, drizzle with a little water before microwaving until heated through and serve with cream or ice cream.Serve dusted with additional powdered sweetener or cocoa powder and top with whipped cream and berries.For a chocolate ganache drizzle, heat 100 gms/3 oz heavy cream to just below boiling and remove from heat. Add 70 grams/2 oz dark chocolate and allow the chocolate to melt in the cream. Stir to combine and pour over your cake.Serving amount is a small serve as this cake is quite rich. Adjust nutritional information if your serves are larger.Double the recipe and use a 10 " baking pan for a large cake. Increase cooking time to about 45 minutes or until cooked as per instructions.