Chuffing Good Chocolate Cake

Chocolate and I have had a long and beautiful relationship. After lasting a total of a day in my attempt to give up chocolate for lent, I went with my basic instinct and made Dahl's Flourless Chocolate Cake. The introduction to the recipe is enough to compel you to want to make the cake and eat it all instantly... preferably alone! Dahl begins: "This is the mother of all chocolate cakes. It is incredibly rich and very good cold from the fridge, smothered in creme fraiche. Eat it at your discretion."

Luckily I was home for reading week, so once again I had full access to all of my Mum's cooking equipment which saved a great deal of time and energy. Firstly, I pulsed the sugar and chocolate in the food processor. It didn't take long, just the right amount of time to nibble on a cube of chocolate. Next I separated the egg whites from the yolks, a task that I really didn't enjoy! However, due to my Mum's handy egg separating tool it meant that I didn't have to touch the raw egg too much.

I placed the egg whites in the Kenwood mixer and let the machine do the hard work, whipping the egg whites until they were stiff. Whilst the Kenwood was doing its job, I mixed boiling water, butter, the egg yolks, coffee powder and vanilla extract in the food processor until the ingredients made a smooth mixture. I then added the egg whites, mixed and voila the mixture was ready to pour in to the ready prepared cake tin. Proud of my skills I lifted the cake tin in a triumphant gesture...but there was a problem. I had used the wrong cake tin, and combined with the runny mixture, it began to seep through the cracks in the tin. After a quick yell for Mum's help, we managed to save the sumptuous mixture and transfer the chocolate loveliness into the correct tin. It then went straight into the oven before any other mishaps could occur.  

The chocolate cake wasn't a normal sort of cake. After leaving it to bake for an hour in the oven, I removed the cake to discover that the mixture had not become a cake, it was still very much liquid in form. I didn't despair, but turned back to Dahl's instructions, and read: "After you take the cake out of the oven it will collapse in on itself quite a bit". Well, my cake hadn't quite "collapsed in on itself" but I hoped for the best and left the cake to cool. Once it had cooled, it went straight into the fridge.

I left the cake in the fridge overnight and for the majority of the next day. Then in the evening I invited my grandparents round for tea and a slice of my attempt at chocolate cake. As I mentioned previously, Dahl's Flourless Chocolate Cake isn't a traditional cake. The moist and dense texture makes the cake more of a dessert. I served my cake as recommended by Dahl, with creme fraiche and fresh strawberries and blackberries. Below are a few videos of my parents and my grandparents opinions on my cake... I promise I didn't make them say anything. 

The finished cake. 











My Grandparents enjoying a slice.









All mine!