Andrew McConnell’s chocolate cake

This chocolate cake is best served slightly undercooked. When it is finished baking, it may look not ready. Resist the desire to put it back in the oven for another five minutes and you will be rewarded with a lovely chocolate outer crust with a loose, almost runny centre.

Ingredients

Chocolate cake

• 200g quality dark couverture chocolate (70 per cent cocoa)
• 200g butter
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• 4 cardamom pods, seeds removed
• 6 black peppercorns
• 80g plain flour
• 5 eggs, separated
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp of very good cocoa powder
• 125g almond meal
• 180g castor sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
2. Place the chocolate and butter in a stainless-steel bowl and melt over a saucepan of simmering water.
3. Grind the spices, mix together, along with the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, almond meal and set aside. Butter a 24-centimetre springform cake tin.
4. When the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool for a moment. In a separate bowl, quickly whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt. Gradually add the castor sugar as the whites develop volume. Continue to whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
5. In quick succession, add the egg yolks and rum to the melted chocolate, stir to incorporate and follow with the dry ingredients. Working quickly, stir in the dry ingredients. Now add one-third of the whipped egg whites and, when roughly incorporated, fold in one-third more of the whites. Repeat until the whites are incorporated. Transfer to the buttered cake tin and bake for 25 minutes.