Chocolate mousse cake

This cake is light and rich and you can add raspberries, cherries or blackberries to the mixture if you fancy.

Serves 6 slices

Prep time: 30mins

Cooking time: 15mins

Difficulty: easy

Ingredients:

125g  dark chocolate (I like cooking with Callebaut 811)

125g salted butter

3 eggs, separated

60g caster sugar

25g ground almonds

1tbsp vanilla bean paste

200g raspberries, cherries or blackberries (optional)

200ml creme fraiche or pouring cream to serve

20g icing sugar to serve

Method:

Heat the oven to 170C and line the base of a 20cm cake tin. Grease with butter.

Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave or in a bain marie. Leave to cool.

Beat the egg white, slowly at first, then fast, to stiff peaks.

Beat the egg yolk and sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix into the cooled chocolate and butter. Mix in the ground almonds and vanilla bean paste.

Mix 1/3 of the stiff egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen it. Then use a large metal spoon or spatula to fold in the remaining egg whites.

Gently transfer the mixture into the cake tin. Decorate the cake with fruit if you have chosen to add any and bake in the oven for 15mins, until almost set. There should be a slight wobble, which will set as the cake cools.

Slice the cake, dust with icing sugar and serve with creme fraiche or pouring cream.