SALVADOR DALI INSPIRED FLOURLESS CHESTNUT, CHOCOLATE AND RUM CAKE
This gorgeously gooey flourless cake was inspired by a recipe in Salvador Dalí’s fantastical cookbook, Les Dîners de Gala. There’s nothing surreal about this very rich cake, which makes an excellent dessert.
SERVES 8-10
✣ 300ml (10fl oz) dark rum
✣ 150g (5¼oz) pitted prunes
✣ 200g (7oz) unsalted butter, roughly chopped, plus extra for greasing
✣ 200g (7oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
✣ 200g (7oz) caster sugar
✣ 200g (7oz) chestnut purée
✣ 3 eggs, separated
✣ Generous pinch of fine sea salt
✣ Cocoa powder, for dusting (optional)
✣ Cold crème fraiche, to serve
1 Place the rum and prunes in a pan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 mins. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for at least 15 mins. Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 3. Butter and line the base of a 20cm
(8in) round loose-bottomed or springform cake tin with baking paper.
2 Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Remove the bowl from the pan and set aside to cool a little.
3 Place the butter, sugar, chestnut purée, egg yolks, salt and the prunes with their rum in a food processor and blitz until smooth and creamy. Add the melted, cooled chocolate and blitz until completely combined. Scrape the mix into a mixing bowl.
4 Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl with electric beaters or in a stand mixer until stiff. Beat one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen, then gently and gradually fold in the rest – don’t be tempted to beat or you will lose the air. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top.
5 Bake for 1 hour–1¼ hours: when done, the cake should be dry and firm on top (but not springy, as it will be mousse-like in the centre), and coming away from the edge of the tin. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 mins; it will shrink a bit, but that is as it should be, and it will firm up a little as it cools. Release from the tin and sit on a wire rack to cool completely.
6 Dust with sifted cocoa – it’s not essential, but adds a lovely bitter note – and serve with crème fraiche.