Not all cakes are created equal. There’s everyday cakes and there’s special cakes. How do you distinguish between the two? It’s simple. Everyday cakes make you think about what you are baking. How much sugar you are adding; the quantity of chocolate that goes into it; whether you serve it with cream; or whether you should have a fruit or vegetable as a core ingredient, which makes you feel better about making a cake in the first place. In comparison, special cakes are the ones where considerations of that kind just don’t factor into the decision making. The more chocolate the better and if you need to add cream, better still.
For us, special cakes are birthday cakes. The one time you get to choose whatever cake you want regardless of what’s in it. That means 7 special cakes a year (6 for the people, and 1 for the dog – have you ever known a Labrador that didn’t like cake?) There is a tendency for some to stick to the cake they love, year after year after year, and it’s usually a variety of cheesecake. If there’s cheesecake in the house, it must be someone’s birthday. For me, you can’t go past chocolate truffle cake. Its rich, luscious and perfect for once a year. Unless of course someone wants to make a lemon tart. Enjoy!
- 320 g dark chocolate
- 160 g caster sugar
- 160 g unsalted butter, chopped into small squares
- 5 eggs, separated
- 40 g plain flour, sifted
- icing sugar
- whipped cream
- fresh berries
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Line a 23cm round springform tin.
- Melt the chocolate, sugar and butter in a double boiler. Remove from the heat, and stir to combine. Leave to cool slightly, then whisk in the egg yolks one at a time.
- Beat the egg whites until they hold firm peaks. Fold the flour and half the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake completely in the tin.
- To serve: remove the cake from tin and place on a serving plate. Cover with a light coating of sifted icing sugar. Serve with whipped cream and fresh berries.
No Comments