It has been a few weeks since we had a team meeting, so this week I tried a cake I have never made before. This cake is very decadent and is probably more like a dessert than a morning tea cake. It has a texture between a mousse and fudge and the addition of the Chinese five spice gives the cake a warmth. The cake is so decadent that the team members who routinely have a second slice of cake, felt one slice of this cake was definitely enough!

The recipe is taken from Mix & Bake by Belinda Jeffrey.

Ingredients

400 g good quality dark cooking chocolate, chopped

110 g castor sugar

125 ml water

5 tsp Chinese five spice powder

280 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, chopped into small cubes

2 tsp vanilla extract

165 g castor sugar, extra

6 eggs at room temperature (340 g total weight without shells)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (less for a fan forced oven). Brush a round 26 cm cake pan with melted butter and line the base with baking paper and brush the paper with butter.
2. If the cake pan is a springform pan, wrap, the bottom and sides of the pan with 2 layers of aluminium foil, as the pan will go in a water bath to cook. Ensure you have a baking or roasting pan large enough to hold the cake pan.
3. Place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and set aside.
4. Combine the 110 g of castor sugar with the Chines five spice powder in a small saucepan and mix in the water. Stir over moderate heat to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil without stirring further. Remove from the heat and pour the syrup, through a fine sieve, over the chocolate.
5. Using a large balloon whisk, stir the syrup with the chocolate until the chocolate is nearly melted.
6. Add the butter and the vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture and continue to stir until it is a smooth glossy mixture. If the room temperature is cool, the bowl can be put over a saucepan of simmering water to aid the mixing process.
7. Use electric beaters to whisk the extra sugar (165 g) and eggs in a large bowl, for about 4 – 5 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
8. Pour about a quarter of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture and stir together to lighten the cake batter.
9. Using a metal spoon, fold the remaining egg mixture into the chocolate mixture thoroughly until well combined.
10. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and put the pan in the baking/roasting dish. Fill the baking dish with near boiling water to a level that it is about half way up the cake sides of the cake pan.
11. Bake for around 45 – 50 minutes; the cake should be set, but a little wobbly.
12. Remove from the oven and take the cake pan from the baking dish; remove the foil from the cake pan, if used, and place the cake pan on a cooling rack.
13. When the cake has cooled completely, gently loosen the cake around the sides using a palette knife. Invert the cake onto a serving plate and remove the baking paper.
14. Chill the cake for a few hours, but leave at room temperature for a couple of hours before serving.
15. Use a warm dry knife to cut the cake cleanly.

Tips

I sifted some cocoa powder over the surface before serving.

The cake keeps well, refrigerated for up to 10 days and can be frozen for up to a month.