French dark chocolate cake

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170 C. Generously butter a 24 cm spring-form tin, then sprinkle the tin with a little sugar and tap out the excess.
2. Set aside 3 tbsp of the sugar.
3. Place the chocolate, butter and remaining sugar in a heavy pan and cook over a low heat until the chocolate and butter have melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the vanilla essence and leave the mixture to cool slightly.
4. Beat the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture, beating each in well. Then stir in the flour.
5. In a clean grease-free bowl, using an electric mixture, beat the egg whites slowly until they are frothy. Increase the speed, add the salt and continue beating until soft peaks form. Sprinkle over the reserved sugar and beat until the whites are stiff and glossy. Beat 1/3 of the whites into the chocolate mixture then fold in the remaining whites.
6. Carefully pour the mixture into the tin and tap the tin gently to release any air bubbles.
7. Bake the cake for 40 minutes until well risen and the top springs back when touched lightly with a fingertip. Transfer the cake to a wire rack, remove the sides of the tin and leave to cool completely. Remove the tin base. Dust the cake with icing sugar and serve.

• Servings : 12
• Ready in : 50 Minutes
• Course : Dessert and Snacks
• Recipe Type : Biscuits, Dessert, recipes for winter, Pizza, Pasta, Spagetty, Quiches
• Ingredient : Brown sugar, Butter, Caster sugar, Dark chocolate, Eggs, Flour, Powder sugar, Salt, Sugar, Vanilla, Quiche