This is one of Ed’s favourite cakes and he re-named it ‘diabetes in a tin’ because it is so decadent and rich. It took longer for me to make him this cake than it did for me to sleep with him, which tells you how special this cake is. It uses 300 grams of dark chocolate (I use Lindt Excellence Smooth Blend 70% Cocoa Mild Dark) and 12 eggs, so it’s not for the faint-hearted or cholesterol-conscious. My old neighbour, when I lived in Griffith, used to demand it after the birth of each of her children. She pushed out three.
TIME
1 hour to prepare
30+ minutes to cook
INGREDIENTS
300 g dark chocolate
185 g unsalted butter
1 cup caster sugar
12 eggs, separated
2 tbsp self-raising flour
1 tsp gelatine
2 tbsp hot water
METHOD
Pre-heat oven to 160 °C (fan-forced). Grease the sides and line the bottom a 23 cm springform tin.
Melt chocolate and butter together over low heat. Cool slightly.
Beat egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar until pale in colour. Stir in chocolate mixture and mix well.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and continue beating until sugar has dissolved and meringue becomes glossy. Fold into the chocolate mixture.
Divide mixture in half. Add the flour to one half and mix well. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes.
While the cake is baking, dissolve gelatine in hot water and then fold into the remaining half of the chocolate mousse.
When the cake has finished cooking, leave it to cool in the tin for 30 minutes or so (it will collapse and this is perfectly normal). After it has cooled, pour over the chocolate mousse and refrigerate overnight.
To get it out of the springform tin, run a nylon spatula around the edge before undoing the spring (you can use a knife or metal spatula if you want to scratch the shit out of your tin). Also, it’s a bitch to cut, so use a sharp knife dipped in hot water if you want clean edges to your slices.
Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and strawberries to cut through the richness. Serves 12.
