Cakes Recipes - French Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 150g caster sugar

• 275g plain chocolate, chopped

• 175g unsalted butter, cut into pieces

• 10ml vanilla essence

• 5 eggs, separated

• 40g plain flour, sifted

• pinch of salt

• icing sugar, for dusting

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Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160.C/325'F /Gas 3. Butter a 24cm/9Vrin springform tin, sprinkle with sugar and tap out the excess.

2. Set aside 45ml/3 tbsp of the sugar. Place the chocolate, butter and remaining sugar in a heavy saucepan and cook over a low heat until melted. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla essence and leave to cool slightly.

3. Beat the egg yolks, one at a time, into the chocolate mixture, then stir in the flour.

4. Beat the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks form. Sprinkle over the reserved sugar and beat until stiff and glossy. Beat one-third of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the rest.

5. Pour the mixture into the tin and tap it gently to release any air bubbles.

6. Bake the cake for 35-45 minutes, until well risen and the top springs back when touched lightly. Transfer to a wire rack, remove the sides of the tin and leave to cool. Remove the tin base, dust the cake with icing sugar and transfer to a serving plate.