Chocolate and almond cake

I was once lucky enough to stay in the Sacher hotel in Salzburg, whose sister hotel in Vienna is responsible for the ‘Sacher torte’ – the ultimate chocolate cake. There was a mini Sacher torte on our pillow when the bed was turned down in the evening! I have not made a Sacher torte since college as it is exceedingly expensive and rich. This recipe has been trimmed, slimmed and honed, and the result is a chocolate cake with a continental flavour, yet slightly less rich for the mouth and the