If there’s a cake that you want sunken, it’s a chocolate cake. You know it’s going to be gooey, fudge and primarily consist of chocolate. Whipped egg whites give a crackly, meringue-like shell and a little bit of crunch against the soft interior. Enjoy with a good dollop of crème fraiche.
Serves: 8-10
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 25-30 minutes
Photography: Chloe Hardwick
Styling: Elena Silcock
Season: Year Round
Ingredients
150g butter
200g dark chocolate
60g plain white flour
4 eggs
60g soft brown sugar (use caster sugar if you don’t have both)
90g caster sugar
Method
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Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan. Grease and line a 23cm cake tin. Melt the butter and dark chocolate together, either in the microwave or in a bowl over lightly simmering water and set aside.
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Using electric beaters, or a hand whisk if you’re feeling strong, whip the egg whites until they hold ‘soft peaks’ – this is where you can lift your whisk out from the mixture and small, soft peaks form. Add the 90g of caster sugar and whip until glossy.
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Using the same whisk, beat the light brown sugar with the yolks until thick and glossy. Pour the chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture, add a pinch of salt and stir well with a spatula. Add ¼ of the whites and mix until incorporated. Tip in the rest of the egg whites and fold carefully, trying not to knock out too much the air you’ve whipped in. Then, carefully fold in the flour. Tip into the tin, level out, and bake for 25-30mins, until risen with a firm top.
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Remove from the oven, set on the side and watch the cake slowly sink. Leave to cool 20 mins or so, then serve up with big fat dollops of crème fraiche.
Read more: You Bring The Wine
Ellie started her newsletter You Bring The Wine back in December 2020, gifting us with crazy good, easy and delicious recipes. Throw in a healthy dose of kitchen tips, good humour and photography by Chloe Hardwick, it’s the kind of stuff we genuinely want piling up in our inbox.
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