Seriously rich chocolate cake

• butter↗100g g

  diced, plus extra for greasing

• flour↗

  for dusting

• best-quality dark chocolate↗140g g

  with 70% cocoa solids, broken into pieces

• eggs↗6large

  separated

• ground almond↗140g g
• kirsch↗1 tbsp tbsp

  or Cointreau (optional)

• salt↗pinch of
• caster sugar↗85g g
• cocoa powder↗

  and crème fraîche, to serve

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3/fan oven 150C. Grease a 23cm/9in springform cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper or baking parchment. Dust the sides with a little flour. Put the chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Heat until melted, then remove the bowl from the pan and stir until smooth. Leave for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.

2. 2

   Stir in the egg yolks, ground almonds, and the liqueur, if using. Put the egg whites into a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and whisk until soft peaks form. Continue whisking, sprinkling in the sugar a little at a time, until stiff peaks form. Stir 2 tablespoons of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then carefully fold in the remainder until no traces of white are left.

3. 3

   Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen and just firm to the touch. Cool in the tin (don’t worry if the cake sinks and cracks slightly – it will still be fine). You can make the cake up to this stage up to four days ahead and keep it in an airtight container in a cool place. It also freezes well for up to one month.

4. 4

   To serve, remove the cake from the tin and peel away the lining paper. Sift cocoa powder liberally over the top and cut into slices. Serve with crème fraîche.