Home Baking

150g (5½oz) dark chocolate (55–62% cocoa solids), roughly chopped

150g (5½oz) caster sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

55g (2oz) ground almonds

¾ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp ground cardamom

icing sugar, for dusting

a mint sprig or an edible flower, to decorate

lightly whipped cream, to serve

20cm (8in) round springform cake tin with a high side

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F) Gas mark 2½. Grease the sides of the tin, and line the base with baking parchment.

2. Put the chocolate, butter and sugar in a large heatproof bowl over a saucepan of water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Put over a medium heat and bring the water to the boil, then immediately remove the pan from the heat. Leave the chocolate to melt slowly, stirring regularly. When smooth, stir in the eggs. Fold in the ground almonds and then sift in the cinnamon, ginger, cloves and cardamom. Fold in to combine.

3. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40–50 minutes until the centre is just set. Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack.

4. When the cake is completely cool, carefully take it out of the tin and put it on a serving plate or cake stand. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with a sprig of mint or edible flower. Serve with cream.

Glazed chocolate cake (#ulink_b516f746-a5ad-5cf6-9519-d977f2dfab1e)

Enjoy this unadulterated chocolate indulgence for the truest of chocaholics. I top this with beautiful crystallised rose petals to add some colour for an occasion, but if that’s too much of a distraction from the chocolate, I understand.

Serves 8

125g (4½oz) butter, plus extra for greasing

150g (5½oz) dark chocolate (55–62% cocoa solids), chopped

150g (5½oz) caster sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

50g (1¾oz) ground almonds

crystallised rose petals (#litres_trial_promo) (optional), to decorate

For the chocolate glaze

110g (3¾oz) dark chocolate (55–62% cocoa solids), chopped

2 tbsp milk

50g (1¾oz) butter

20cm (8in) cake tin

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F) Gas mark 2½. Grease the side of the tin, and line the base with baking parchment. Put the chocolate, butter and sugar in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Melt the mixture and stir until smooth. Beat in the eggs, then fold in the almonds.

2. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake for 40–50 minutes until the centre is just set. Leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack.

3. To make the chocolate glaze, put all the ingredients in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water as before and melt together, stirring occasionally until smooth. Leave for 10 minutes to cool a little or until it has thickened slightly, but do not put the bowl in the fridge, as the mixture will lose its glossy sheen.

4. Transfer the cake onto a plate or cake stand, and pour the glaze over the top, allowing it to drizzle down the sides. I like to decorate this for a celebration with crystallised rose petals.

Dodo’s Sachertorte (#ulink_f1a47da0-7785-530f-bb98-91838cfa1af4)

The mixture of dense chocolate cake, sweet apricot jam and that glossy, chocolate mirror glaze has made the Sachertorte a classic and much-loved dessert. This recipe is from Dodo, my fab brother-in-law. It takes a bit of time, but it’s worth the effort.

Serves 10–12

150g (5½oz) butter, soft at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

½ vanilla pod

125g (4½oz) icing sugar

6 eggs, separated

125g (4½oz) dark chocolate, (55–62% cocoa solids), roughly chopped

100g (3½oz) caster sugar

150g (5½oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

200g (7oz) apricot jam whipped cream, to serve

For the chocolate glaze

200g (7oz) caster sugar

200g (7oz) chocolate (55–62% cocoa solids), roughly chopped

24cm (9½in) springform cake tin

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas mark 3. Grease the side of the tin, and line the base with baking parchment. Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla pod and put in a large bowl. Add the butter and icing sugar, and cream with a wooden spoon until soft, or use an electric beater on slow. While continually mixing, add the egg yolks one by one to make a thick, creamy paste.