PRISADY:
3/4 cup blanched whole almonds (or almond flour)
4 large whole eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting cake layers
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup pastry flour, sifted
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup good-quality raspberry jam
1 pint fresh raspberries
Preheat the oven to 400F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place the almonds into the processor to make the almond flour (don't over-process otherwise you'll end up with a paste). In a bowl combine the whole eggs, 1 1/4 cups of the confectioners' sugar, and the ground almonds and beat on medium-high speed until light and creamy. In another bowl beat the egg whites until foamy. Add remaining 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar. Don't over-whip or the merinque will be tough.
Fold the nut mixture into the merinque. Gently fold in the melted butter, followed by the flour. Evenly spread two-thirds of the batter in one of the prepared pans, Evenly spread the remaining batter in the second prepared pan, shaping it into an 8-inch square in the center of the pan. Dust the top of each cake wiht the sugar. Bake for 8 minutes or until brown. Cool completely.
GANACHE: Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Place the cream in a saucepan over medium heat and heat just until distinct bubbles begin to form around the edges of the pan. Remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let stand till chocolate begins to melt then beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Set aside for a bit less than 1 hour until ganache reaches a spreading consistency. Don't refrigerate ganache.
To assemble the cake peel te parchment off the cakes, cut the large cake into 2 equal squares and trim the smaller cake to a size equal to the other two cakes. You should have 3 cake layers of equal size, about 7 1/2 inches square.
Place one cake layer, spoon half of the ganache on the layer and spread evenly. Top with the second layer. Spoon raspberry jam then top with the 3rd layer. Spoon the remaining ganache and spread evenly. Refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 6 hrs. Arrange the raspberries on top in a decorative patters.
