Recipe: Chocolate Coffee Cake

This is a rich, dense cake, delicious as a dessert or for afternoon tea.

Makes 8 – 10 slices

• Butter to grease cake tin
• 130gm unsalted butter
• 130gm caster sugar
• 7 egg yolks
• 150gm ground almonds
• 150gm dark, bittersweet chocolate, grated
• 4 tbsp cooled strong coffee
• 9 egg whites
• A pinch of salt
• Cocoa powder for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180º C.  Butter a 20cm round cake tin and line with greaseproof baking paper.  Cream the butter and sugar until pale, then add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the almonds and grated chocolate and add to the mixture.  Pour in the coffee.  Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form and fold into the cake mixture.  Pour into the prepared cake tin.  Stand the tin in a baking dish and pour hot water to come halfway up the side of the cake tin.  Bake for 50 minutes or to one hour or until you can skewer the cake and it comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin completely before turning out.

To serve, dust generously with cocoa powder.  This cake keeps well for a couple of days.