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CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPES

This is an excellent chocolate cake for a special ocassion. It has a strong yet velvety texture that is easy to cut into shapes. You will need to use a mixer that has a whisk attachment as well as a normal beater. If you don’t possess one or simply want to make a less complicated cake, use the Madeira cake recipe but add cocoa powder to it. As it bakes, a hard crust will form on top that may scorch or crack. This is normal. Slice it off and discard the crust once the cake has cooled and before you decorate it.

1 Pre-heat your oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line your cake pan (see page 14) and separate the eggs placing the whites and yolks in two different bowls.

2 Melt the chocolate in a large bowl and place to one side.

3 Beat the butter and sugar together using the normal beater on the mixer until fluffy.

4 Beat in the egg yolks. Tip the chocolate into the mixture and keep the bowl the chocolate was melted in. Bind the mixture together on a slow speed.

5 Gently stir in the sifted flour using a metal spoon then scrape the chocolate mixture back into the chocolate bowl. Remove the beater from the mixer.

6 Wash your machine’s mixing bowl. Dry it and place the egg whites into it.

7 Place the whisking element on your mixer. Whisk the egg whites until stiff then whisk in the confectioners' sugar. Remove the whisk and put the beater attachment back on.

9 Tip the chocolate mixture into the egg whites and mix together on a slow speed. It will look dreadful at first but the two will mix smoothly together eventually.

9 Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and bake immediately.

10 When the cake is ready there will be no bubbling noises. To be sure, insert a knife or metal skewer. (You may have to cut a small chunk out of the cake’s crust to do this). If it comes out clean, then the cake is done. If there’s mixture on the skewer, cook for a little longer.

TIP: Unless you have a very big mixer, it may be easier to make the largest sizes in two separate batches then gently stir together. Have everything weighed out beforehand though as this mixture needs to be cooked immediately.