Dense slices of temptation direct from the pages of Emelia Jackson’s brand-new cookbook "You Had Me at Cake".

“My sister is many things: surgeon, mother, great swimmer, chatty Cathy. Baker, though, she is not,” says Emelia Jackson. “When we were younger she had one cake on high rotation: a flourless chocolate cake – a packet mix mind you – studded with raspberries. In her defence, it was a great packet mix. This is Steph’s cake. She’ll most likely never bake it, but it’s here if she needs to reminisce.”

Ingredients
Makes a 20cm round cake
Gluten free

  • 200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate (70% or higher), roughly chopped
  • 200 g (7 oz) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 6 large eggs, separated
  • 150 g (51/2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
  • 50 g (13/4 oz) cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 150 g (51/2 oz) fresh raspberries (or pitted cherries, if in season), plus extra to serve (optional)
  • Thick (double) cream, to serve

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) fan-forced. Line the base and sides of a 20 cm (8 inch) round cake tin with baking paper.
  2. Combine the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and heat in the microwave in 30-second bursts until melted. Stir until smooth, then set aside to cool slightly.
  3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on medium speed until foaming. With the mixer still running, slowly rain in 100 g (31/2 oz) of the caster sugar, then increase the speed to medium–high and whisk until thick peaks form.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolks, the remaining 50 g (13/4 oz) of caster sugar and the cocoa, salt and vanilla and whisk (by hand is fine here) until the mixture is aerated and smooth. Add the cooled melted chocolate and butter and mix until combined.
  5. Finally, fold one-third of the meringue through the chocolate base to lighten the mixture. Add the remaining meringue and gently fold (ideally with a whisk) until combined.
  6. Pour the batter into the cake tin and stud with the raspberries (or cherries, if using). Bake for 35–40 minutes. The cake will rise and have a shiny top with a gentle wobble remaining in the centre.
  7. Remove the cake from the oven and watch the magic as it collapses down on itself, creating the most imperfectly perfect chocolate cake on earth. Allow it to cool completely in the tin, then refrigerate until cold – this will help you remove it from the tin.
  8. To turn the cake out, invert it onto a plate, remove the baking paper, then top with your serving plate. Flip the cake back over and remove the baking paper from the edges.
  9. To serve, dust the cake with cocoa powder, then slice into generous pieces. Serve with cream and fresh raspberries if you like.

You Had Me at Cake

Images and text from You Had Me at Cake, photography by Armelle Habib, Murdoch Books RRP $39.99. Available in stores now including at great independent retailers such as Readings and Hill of Content.