Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Cloud Cake

Ingredients 

For the cake:

9 oz dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

 For the cream topping:

4 oz dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag (300g) of mini-eggs (I used Hershey's Eggies because they were the only peanut-free/nut-free ones I could find this year)


 Directions 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan with parchment paper.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and then let the butter melt in the warm chocolate.

In a bowl, whisk 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add a 1/2 cup of sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their shape but not too stiff. Set the bowl aside.

In another bowl, beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup of the caster sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture and vanilla. Add a heaping spoonful of egg whites to the chocolate mixture and mix briskly. Gently fold in the rest of the whites, about a 1/3 at a time.

Pour the batter 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 the pan on a wire rack; the middle will crack and 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.

To make the topping, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. While the chocolate is cooling, whip the cream until it's soft and then add the vanilla and continue whisking until the cream is firm but not stiff. Gently fold in the chocolate. Fill the crater of the cake with the chocolate cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake and decorate with the chocolate eggs.


This recipe is also linked to...

Food on Friday: Chocolate