Preheat oven to 325ºF. Butter a 9 x 2 inch cake pan. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper and oil it lightly.

Cream butter, sugar, egg yolks and almond extract until light and fluffly. Add chocolate and almonds and stir until well combined. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until stiff but not dry. Add large spoonful to batter mixture and stir to loosen batter. Gently fold in remaining whites.

Turn into prepared pan and bake until edges of cake shrink slightly from pan about 40-45 minutes. The cake will be soft in the center.

Let it cool completely in the pan. Invert onto a serving platter and remove the parchment. Just before serving, cut Saint James pattern (rising sun or other design) from waxed paper. Set over cake and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Gently remove paper.

Serve, if desired, with whipped cream and a sprinkle of praline.

Almond Praline
1 cup sugar
1 cup toasted almonds and/or hazelnuts

Melt the sugar in a skillet over low heat, stirring constantly.

When the sugar is caramelized, stir in all of the nuts until well-coated. Pour immediately into a butter pan or platter.

When cool, crack into small pieces and use a food processor to make the pieces as fine as you like. 

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