TOMMY’S TWIST A malty makeover of chocolate cake

Michelin-starred chef and two-time winner of BBC Two’s Great British Menu, Tommy Banks, creates an easy chocolate cake with a nostalgic, malty twist

Chocolate & malt loaf torte

Don’t be deceived by how easy this chocolate torte is to make – the result is a rich, dense cake with a malted coating. The raw batter could double as a silky mousse – I struggle not to eat it all before it’s baked. Eat it warm as a pudding, served with cream or crème fraîche, or leave it to go cold and serve as a crumbly cake with tea.

SERVES 12 PREP 30 mins COOK 50 mins EASY V

165g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for the tin

75g malt loaf

150g blanched hazelnuts

300g dark chocolate

150g golden caster sugar

4 eggs, beaten

150g full-fat cream cheese cream or crème fraîche, to serve 1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 20cm non-stick, loosebottomed cake tin. Blend the malt loaf and hazelnuts to a fine crumb in a food processor. Scatter the crumb into the buttered tin and shake it so all surfaces are evenly covered. Pour out the remaining crumbs and reserve. 2 Slowly melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on full speed for 5 mins until light and fluffy. Slowly add the eggs, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice to ensure the batter is well combined. Tip in the remaining hazelnut and malt loaf crumb and melted chocolate. Finally, add the cream cheese. Your mixture should be smooth and glossy, like a chocolate mousse. Using a rubber spatula, transfer to your cake tin and smooth out evenly.

3 Bake the cake for 35 mins and then turn the temperature down to 160C/140C fan/gas 3 for a final 20 mins. Allow the cake to rest and cool for an hour before attempting to remove the tin. This cake keeps well, so you can make it up to two days ahead. Carefully slice into wedges and serve with cream or crème fraîche.

PER SERVING 455 kcals • fat 35g • saturates 16g • carbs 26g • sugars 20g • fibre 4g • protein 8g • salt 0.2g

Tommy Banks is chef-owner at The Black Swan in Olstead, North Yorkshire (blackswanoldstead.co.uk). Tommy’s new book, Roots (£25, Seven Dials), is out now. @tommybanks8 @tommybanks