Vivi’s Flourless Chocolate Cake

Beat egg yolks with the sugar until thick and pale and mixture forms a
ribbon, as for making a sponge. Melt the chocolate over hot water and
allow to cool slightly. Fold chocolate very gently into the egg yolk
mixture, careful not to deflate it too much. Add a Tbls. or two of
your favourite liqueur if you wish at this point. Whisk the egg
whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the chocolate mixture.

Pour into a greased and lined 23cm (9 1/2 inch) cake tin or a heart
shaped tin or other shaped mould…try to keep it simple though as
this is a moist cake. Bake in a bain marie in the oven at 140C/250F
for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until done when tested with a
toothpick…it will not test completely dry though. Leave to relax
with the oven door ajar for another hour. The cake will rise like a
souffle but will settle as there is no flour. Turn out when cold and
dust with icing (confectioner’s) sugar if desired.

Serve with fresh unsweetened heavy cream, berries and a chocolate
sauce or icecream.

NB: For this cake to turn out well, use a good German, Belgian or
Swiss bittersweet chocolate (preferably one with at least 60% cocoa
solids).

Also, I have not given an exact amount of sugar in this recipe…it
depends on the type of chocolate you use (less sugar if you use
semisweet chocolate for example) and how sweet you like the cake to
be. I don’t usually measure the sugar but I don’t use much as it is
much nicer if the flavour is intensely chocolate and not overly sweet.