Recently we celebrated one of the team members’ birthday. This cake is very easy to make and tastes extremely good.

The recipe is taken from the Monday Morning Cooking Club  by Lisa Goldberg, Merelyn Frank Chalmers, Natanya Eskin, Lauren Fink, Paula Horwitz and Jacqui Israel.

 

Ingredients for cake

250 g good quality dark cooking chocolate, finely chopped or grated

250 g pitted prunes, chopped

250 g finely ground walnuts

pinch sea salt

115 g caster sugar

6 eggs at room temperature, separated

 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (less for a fan forced oven). Brush a deep round 20 cm springform cake pan with melted butter and line the base and sides with baking paper.
2. Using electric beaters, beat the egg yolks and sugar (reserving 1 tbls for the egg whites) in a large bowl, until pale,creamy and well aerated.
3. Gently  fold the chocolate and prunes into the egg mixture.
4. Whisk the egg whites with the salt until soft peaks form. Add the reserved tablespoon of sugar and continue to whisk until firm peaks form.
5. Fold the walnuts into the egg whites as gently as possible, until just combined.
6. Gently fold one large spoonful of the egg white mix into the egg yolk mix to soften it and then fold in the remaining egg white mix.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake for around 50-60 minutes or until moist crumbs cling to a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake.
8. Remove from the oven and leave in pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack’
9. The cake can be served warm or at room temperature with whipped cream

I decorated the top of the cake with grated chocolate and edible rose petals.