1. Preheat oven to 350

To make the cake:

1. Butter a 9 or 10 inch springform pan and line the bottom with a round of wax paper or parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust with fine almond flour. Set aside.
2. Grind the nuts very finely in a food processor or use the equivalent amount of store-bought almond meal. I’ve made it both ways and it works.
3. In the top of a double boiler, over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate. Cover until partially melted and then uncover and stir until completely smooth. Remove from the heat to cool slightly.
4. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter. Add the swerve or xylitol and beat for 2 minutes at medium-high speed. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating until well mixed after each addition. On low speed, add the chocolate and beat only to mix. Then add the almonds and beat only to mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. If you have a second mixing bowl for your stand mixer or a hand held mixer as well, you can leave the batter in the bowl. Otherwise, transfer it to another large bowl and set aside. Wash your bowl and beaters and dry very well.

To make the icing:

1. In a large bowl, (either the one you just washed or another one), add the salt to the egg whites and with clean beaters, beat the egg whites on high but only until they hold a definite shape, but are not stiff or dry. Stir a large spoonful of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it a bit and then fold in the rest of the whites in 3 additions.
2. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top, rotating the pan a bit to level the top. Bake for 20 minutes and then lower the oven 25º and bake for another 40-50 minutes. When cake is done, wet a kitchen towel, slightly wring it out, fold it and place it on the counter. Remove cake from the oven and place it directly on the towel. Let it stand for 20 minutes. Then remove the sides of the cake pan and place a wire rack over the top of the cake and invert it. Remove the bottom of the pan and the paper liner. Cover with another rack and invert the cake again and let it stand till completely cool on the wire rack.
3. If the center is sunken in, use a long, thin, sharp knife to make the top level, but be careful because the cake is a bit fragile. Prepare a cake plate, by placing 4 strips of wax paper around the outer edges of the plate, making a big square, to catch the frosting droppings and keep the cake plate neat looking. Set the cake upside down, centered, on top of the 4 strips.

4. In a medium heavy saucepan, scald the cream over medium heat until small bubbles form at the edges. Add the coffee and stir with a whisk to dissolve. Add the chocolate and stir occasionally for about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl to stop it from cooking any further. Let the icing stand for about 15 minutes, stirring every now and then, until it’s room temperature and has slightly thickened.

5. 10. Stir the icing gently and pour it over the top of the cake. Use an offset spatula if you have one (a knife can work well too) to smooth the icing over the sides and around the cake. Smooth the top so that it looks evenly spread. Remove the 4 strips of paper carefully and after you’ve licked off the icing, discard. Serve cake as is or decorate with chocolate shavings Let cake stand for couple of hours so icing has time to solidify.
6. 11. Cake keeps stored airtight at room temperature for 3-4 days.