Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Cloud Cake

Comfort Food Alert!

I love this cake! been making it forrreverrrrr.  I make it so often that even though I know the recipe off by heart I still grab the recipe book out of habit.  The book falls open to the page and voila I have Chocolate glory comfort cake!

The original recipe calls for Cointreau, however I never use it,  it started out because of the kid being small and just never been included since.  I like this cake in all it's chocolaty glory without the added extras.

Note: I don't grease and flour this tin,  I use baking paper base and around the sides, much easier to release from the spring form pan.

250gm dark chocolate
125gm butter
6 eggs, (2 whole, 4 separated)
175gm castor sugar
600ml whipped cream

Pre heat your oven 180C or fan forced 170C.

Line your 23cm cake tin base and sides with baking paper.

Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or a microwave, and then let the butter melt in the warm chocolate, allow to cool.

 

Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 75g of the caster sugar until thick and fluffy.

Gently add the chocolate mixture with the mixer running.

 

In another bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the 100g of sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their shape but not too stiff.

Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites, and then fold in the rest of the whites.

 

Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the centre is no longer wobbly.

Cool the cake in its tin on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools.

When you are ready to eat, place the still tin-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove the cake from its tin. Don't worry about cracks or rough edges: it's the crater look we're going for here.

Fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake, and dust the top lightly with cocoa powder pushed through a tea-strainer.