Recipes: Rich Chocolate Cake

This isn't the easiest cake recipe in the world (see picture), but as long as you make the icing nice and thick it will cover any imperfections in the cake itself. The hardest bit is folding in the egg whites at the end as by that point the mixture has usually solidified into a solid ball, for this reason I melt the butter, not that it helps much. It's also a good idea to let the cake cool (and thereby solidify) completely before slicing it in half, so remember to leave enough time for that.

The cake:

1. Beat 8oz butter with 8oz brown sugar.
2. Beat in 4 egg yolks one at a time adding a portion of 4 oz self raising flour after each one.
3. Fold in the rest of the flour, 4oz ground/chopped hazelnuts and 8oz melted chocolate.
4. Fold in the beaten egg whites.
5. cook the cake for 1 hr 15 mins at 170C, 325F, 4G. If it starts to get too brown cover with foil.

Once cooled slice into two and fill with 1/2 pint whipped cream.

The icing:

Melt and mix 6oz plain chocolate with 4oz sifted icing sugar and 4 tablespoons water.

Decorate with chopped hazelnuts.