No dessert pleasures like a classic chocolate mud cake. Put together with cocoa, chocolates and butter, this slice of heaven is simultaneously a brownie, chocolate lava and chocolate sponge. Who could resist?
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (35 g) cocoa powder
- 1⅓ cups (80 ml) boiling water
- 150 g dark eating chocolate, melted
- 150 g unsalted butter, melted
- 1⅓ cup (265 g) firmly packed brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (50 g) self-raising flour
- 1 cup (120 g) almond or hazelnut meal
- 4 eggs, separated
- SATIN CHOCOLATE GLAZE
- 200 g dark chocolate, chopped
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) thickened cream
- Silver cachous or dragée cake decorations, optional
Steps
Preheat the oven to moderate (180 C/160 C fan-forced). Grease a deep 19 cm square cake pan, line base and sides with baking paper.
Combine cocoa and the boiling water in a large bowl, stir until smooth. Add chocolate, butter, sugar and sifted flour, then almond meal; stir until combined. Stir in egg yolks, one at a time.
Beat egg whites in a clean, small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form; fold into chocolate mixture in two batches. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
Bake in a moderate oven for about 1 hr 15 mins or until firm to touch. Stand cake in pan for 5 mins; turn top-side up onto a wire rack to cool.
For the satin chocolate glaze, combine the chocolate and cream in a medium heatproof bowl, stir over barely simmering water until smooth.
Spread a thin layer of glaze over the cold cake. Stand remaining glaze at room temperature until thickened slightly, then spread over top and sides of cold cake.
Sprinkle the top with the decorations, if desired.