Recipe: Chocolate cake
Easter chocolate eggs and bunnies are always a bit disappointing when it comes to taste (unless you've splashed out on some fancy one). The crushed up packaging with the bashed and bruised shards get shoved to the back of the cupboard only to be rediscovered months later. Fear not I have the easiest way to upcycle your cheapo chocolates. Nothing exotic or high tech needed to create this very simply chocolate chocolate cake. Plenty of butter, eggs, dark brown sugar and ground almonds make for a soft tender crumb. When it comes to baking this cake it's much better to veer on the side of caution and underbake this (you'll end up with a slight gooey centre) then overbaking and ending up with a dry crumbly cake (although you could crumble it up and have it on top of a scoop of vanilla ice cream - I'm a firm believer there's always a way of saving a dessert).
This cake is gluten free but definitely not sugar or butter free. It is utter indulgence!
Ingredients
150g chocolate, roughly chopped 170g butter, in cubes at room temperature 170g dark brown soft sugar 100g ground almonds 20g cocoa powder 6 eggs pinch of salt
Dusting (optional) 1 tbsp cocoa powder 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
One 21cm cake tin lined with baking paper
Preheat the oven to 180c (fan forced). Add the chocolate and butter to a pot and melt gently. Stir occasionally. Take off the heat once you the butter and chocolate have melted.
Meanwhile whisk the sugar, almonds, salt and cocoa powder together to break any lumps. Crack the eggs into the middle and whisk until you have a smooth paste. Pour in the melted chocolate. Stir everything together and pour into cake tin. Bake for 45 minutes or until the skewer comes out every so slightly wet. Remove the cake from the oven. Leave to completely cool before dusting with cocoa powder mixed with ground cinnamon (optional).
The cake will keep for 3-4 days. Alternatively once cool, wrap well and freeze (take out of the freezer 24 hours before eating to defrost).
Photo: Lara Messer Styling: Frankie Unsworth
