Chocolate and chestnut soufflé cake

Chocolate

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 125g/5oz butter plus an extra lump
• Flour for dusting
• 125g/5oz dark chocolate (as before)
• 225g/9oz chestnut purée
• 100ml/4fl oz milk
• 2 large eggs
• 75g/3oz caster sugar
• Cocoa for dusting
• Crème fraîche to serve

Method

• Heat the oven to 325F/170C/gas mark 3. Use the extra lump of butter to smear lavishly a 20cm/8in non-stick flan tin with a collar (removable base). Dust with flour and place on a baking sheet. Place the chocolate and butter in a pan and gently melt and mix. Heat the chestnut pure with the milk, stirring until smooth.
• Separate the eggs and beat the yolk with the sugar until pale and smooth. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg and sugar, stirring into a smooth batter. Whisk the egg whites stiff and use a metal spoon to fold them into the batter. Pour into the flan tin and bake for 25 minutes or until the cake is puffed and probably cracked but with a slight wobble in the middle.
• Rest before removing the collar. Dust with sieved cocoa and serve with crème fraîche.

This recipe was first published in Saga Magazine

Lindsey Bareham's website is: www.lindseybareham.com