I have a staunch belief with chocolate cake; for me, it’s one of those things that can never be too chocolatey. Nothing winds me up more than when people complain that a chocolate cake is ‘too rich‘ or ‘too chocolatey‘ – err, hello – surely that is the entire POINT of a chocolate cake. Please, if chocolate is the showcase – let me taste it! Equally, there is nothing that winds me up more than a bad chocolate cake. Unfortunately the abundance of these is contagious – I’ve stopped ordering it out at restaurants now in fear of disappointment. With every bite of spongey nothingness flavoured, no doubt, with nothing but cocoa powder a little piece of me dies.
Luckily with this recipe you can’t go wrong. The absence of flour results in a texture that is dense, gooey and endlessly endlessly chocolatey. How could something that is essentially made of just butter, chocolate and sugar really ever be bad? The raspberries cut the dark chocolate perfectly, adding a zing, and keep the texture even moister. A good staple and sure-fire way into even the most grumpy, caged of hearts.
Luckily with this recipe you can’t go wrong. The absence of flour results in a texture that is dense, gooey and endlessly endlessly chocolatey. How could something that is essentially made of just butter, chocolate and sugar really ever be bad? The raspberries cut the dark chocolate perfectly, adding a zing, and keep the texture even moister. A good staple and sure-fire way into even the most grumpy, caged of hearts.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
125g dark chocolate – 70% or more
60g butter
3 large eggs (separated)
125g caster sugar
around 25 raspberries
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170 celsius and grease and line a cake tin. Top tip - use cocoa powder to dust the cake tin, that way if you turn it out the cake won’t be stained white from the flour!
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bain-marie (a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water – see the below picture).
3. Whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks.
4. Mix the sugar and egg yolks gradually into the melted chocolate and butter.
5. Gently fold in the egg whites, making sure not to beat out all the air – see below picture.
6. Pour into the cake tin. Scatter the raspberries on top and poke them down so that the batter covers the tops of them.
7. Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes. The middle should be wobbly; it will continue cooking in the hot tin as it cools so don’t worry about it being raw and besides…everybody likes a bit of wobble.
8. Leave to cool. Eat cool, or heat for around 10 seconds in the microwave. Devour – I have no doubt it won’t last long in your kitchen.
Ingredients:
125g dark chocolate – 70% or more
60g butter
3 large eggs (separated)
125g caster sugar
around 25 raspberries
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170 celsius and grease and line a cake tin. Top tip - use cocoa powder to dust the cake tin, that way if you turn it out the cake won’t be stained white from the flour!
2. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bain-marie (a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water – see the below picture).
3. Whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks.
4. Mix the sugar and egg yolks gradually into the melted chocolate and butter.
5. Gently fold in the egg whites, making sure not to beat out all the air – see below picture.
6. Pour into the cake tin. Scatter the raspberries on top and poke them down so that the batter covers the tops of them.
7. Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes. The middle should be wobbly; it will continue cooking in the hot tin as it cools so don’t worry about it being raw and besides…everybody likes a bit of wobble.
8. Leave to cool. Eat cool, or heat for around 10 seconds in the microwave. Devour – I have no doubt it won’t last long in your kitchen.
Chocolate and butter melting in a bain-marie.
Folding in the egg whites. Spot the wee little air bubbles.
