velvet salted caramel chocolate torte

My contribution to a BBQ - looking pretty gorgeous if I do say so myself! Recipe from Green & Black's ORGANIC ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE RECIPES THE NEW COLLECTION

Ingredients
For the salted caramel
175g caster sugar
3 tablespoons water
120ml double cream
1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes
120g unsalted butter
For the torte
250g dark 70-85% cocoa solids chocolate broken into pieces
160g unsalted butter cubed
175g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
120g ground almonds
5 medium free-range egg yolks
6 large free-range egg whites
Cream or good vanilla ice cream, to serve
Begin by making the salted caramel. Pour the sugar into a heavy based pan and add the water. Heat gently, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Turn up the heat to medium high and allow the syrup to come to the boil undisturbed. Simmer briskly and watch like a hawk until the caramel turns a rich amber colour. Swirl the pan to prevent 'hot spots' but don't stir (stirring causes the caramel to clump and crystallize). Remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir in the cream and salt:  there's sure to be a hiss and a goood splutter. Now stir in the butter cubes until a smooth caramel forms and set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 23cm cake tin with baking parchment.
Melt the chocolate, butter and sugar together in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't towch the water (or you can melt everything in a saucepan set over a very low heat, but don't allow it to burn). Remove from the heat and stir until smooth then mix in the vanilla and almonds, followed by the egg yolks, one by one.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until they form stiff peaks. Fold 1 large tablespoon into the choclate mixture with a metal spoon or a spatula to loosen it, then fold in the rest, being careful to retain as much air as possible.  Scrape about two-thirds of this batter into the tin. Make a slight dip in the centre and spoon the salted caramel into the dip and over the surface. Top with the remaining choclate mixture, smoothing it right to the edges. Bake for about 40 minutes, unitl puffed and barely firm. There might be some caramel bubbling up at the edges but that's absolutely fine - resist the temptation to touch it because it will be scalding hot. 
Leave to cool completely in the tin, the cake will gently crumple in the middle.  Slice and serve each velvety piece at room temperature with chilled whipped cream, or some really good vanilla ice cream.

"The cucumbers are pretty this year" Driving Miss Daisy.