French Chocolate Cake

I’m sure I’ve told you all before that I’m not really into eating cake.

So on the odd occurrence that I’m going to go all out and eat a piece of cake, that cake is going to look like this.

Rich, fudgy, and (brace yourselves for the ick word guys!) moist.

Flourless cakes tend to be my favourite, because they’re so much denser and moister than aerated cakes and sponges.

And this chocolatey, dense, almost-flourless cake is what my cake-dreams are made of. It’s almost like a brownie, a little like a soufflé, and it totally melts in your mouth.

See what I mean? Look at all that moist-cake-goodness right up there.

It’s heavy on the chocolate too, so use the best you can afford, because the flavour will really come through.

And I don’t often serve cream as an accompaniment to desserts, but in this case, the rich, decadent chocolate cake goes beautifully with a quenelle of double cream and some fresh, tart berries.

But really, this cake is so damn good you can eat it any which way you like. X

• 250g dark chocolate, chopped (9 oz)
• 120g unsalted butter (8 tbsp)
• 65g sugar (1/3 cup)
• 4 eggs, separated
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• Pinch salt

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and grease and line a 9 inch loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, and place this over a pot of simmering water.
3. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is melted, smooth and combined.
4. Take the bowl off the heat. Whisk in half the sugar, followed by the egg yolks. Then fold in the flour.
5. Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites with the salt until they turn white and form soft peaks. Still whisking, rain in the other half of the sugar and keep whisking on high speed until the whites form firm peaks.
6. Fold a third of the meringue into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then gently fold in the remaining whites until smooth and combined.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and spread out evenly.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, until the cake feels just slightly firm in the middle. Be careful not to over bake.
9. Allow to cool completely before cutting. Serves 8.
10. Happy baking!
11. NOTE: The original recipe calls for a 35 min baking time, but mine was ready at 25. Be sure to check your cake and adjust the time accordingly.