RICH CHOCOLATE CAKE

PREP + COOK TIME 2 HOURS 30 MINUTES (+ COOLING) SERVES 12

180g dark eating chocolate, chopped coarsely

60g butter, chopped

5 eggs, separated

1 tablespoon brandy

½ cup (60g) ground almonds

¼ cup (35g) plain flour

1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar

125g fresh raspberries icing sugar, to dust

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

½ cup (125ml) pouring cream

180g dark eating chocolate, chopped finely 1 Grease a 2-litre (8-cup) pudding steamer; line base with baking paper. 2 Stir chocolate and butter in a large saucepan over low heat for 5 minutes or until smooth. Remove from heat; cool for 10 minutes. Stir in egg yolks and brandy, then ground almonds and sifted flour.

3 Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add sugar; beat until sugar dissolves. Fold the egg white mixture into cooled chocolate mixture, in two batches. Spoon mixture into prepared steamer.

4 Place steamer, without lid, in a 4.5-litre (18-cup) slow cooker; pour enough boiling water into cooker to come halfway up side of steamer. Cook, covered, on High, for 2 hours or until cake feels firm.

5 Remove pudding steamer from cooker. Turn cake immediately onto a wire rack lined with baking paper to cool.

6 Meanwhile, make chocolate ganache. 7 Spread cake with chocolate ganache; top with berries. Lightly dust with icing sugar.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Heat cream in a small saucepan over low heat until just simmering. Remove from heat; add chocolate, stir until smooth. Stand at room temperature until spreadable.

E Fold half of the egg white mixture into the cooled chocolate mixture, then fold in the remaining egg white mixture.

F Spoon the chocolate mixture into the prepared steamer, but don’t cover the steamer with foil or a lid.

D Beat egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add sugar, then beat until dissolved.

A Grease a pudding steamer or heatproof china bowl. Line the base with a round of baking paper cut to fit.

B Combine the chocolate and butter in a large saucepan. Stir constantly over a low heat until smooth.

C Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat, stir in egg yolks and brandy, then ground almonds and sifted flour.