Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray your cake pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment. In the microwave on high power, soften the butter and almond paste together until they both reach spreadable consistency, about 90 seconds.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together almond paste and butter until smooth. With the mixer running on low speed, add the whole eggs one at a time and mix until very smooth and well combined. Add cocoa powder and salt and continue mixing on low speed until the mixture is homogeneous, about 2 minutes more. Transfer this mixture to a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Clean the mixer bowl well and fit your mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat egg whites on high until foamy, 2—3 minutes. Slowly sprinkle in sugar and mix on high until stiff peaks form, 3-4 minutes more.

Using a large rubber spatula, fold ⅓ of the beaten egg whites into the almond—cocoa mixture until combined. You don’t have to be too careful on this first addition. The idea is to bring the almond—cocoa mixture to a similar consistency as the egg whites so the remainder folds in easily without deflating.

Add the remaining ⅔ egg whites all at once to your large bowl. Carefully fold egg whites into almond— cocoa mixture, taking care not to deflate the egg whites while mixing. Once the egg whites are nicely folded in and no white streaks remain, empty the batter into your prepared cake pan. Gently level off the top using a small offset spatula.

Bake for 30—40 minutes until the torte is puffed up and feels set but not completely solid in the center. Allow to cool in the pan at least 30 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter. Don’t worry if the cake sinks a bit as it cools. That is normal and it will still be delicious. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or cocoa powder before serving.

Recipe and photo excerpted from The Flour Craft Bakery & Cafe Cookbook, by Heather Hardcastle (Rizzoli Books, 2020). Photo by Erin Scott, Styling by Lillian Kang.