It may not look like much but, in my humble opinion, this cake is the perfect pudding. It’s rich but not overly sweet, dense but not cloying and it has a slight boozy kick to it too. If my opinion isn’t persuasive enough, I took this along to a meal with friends this evening and everyone helped themselves to 2 slices… and I’m eating another one as I type too! Mmmmmmm!

You really need serve nothing with this. Apart from anything else, it’s not so sweet as to need the masking properties of cream. However, I did elegantly plonk a tub of vanilla Carte D’or on the table with it, mainly to appease the children.

Now… I promise that the next recipe I present for your perusal will be drawn from somewhere other than How To Be A Domestic Goddess (not least because 2 shiny new cook books are currently wending their way to my kitchen courtesy of my recent Amazon order). It’s just that I *may* have set myself a teeny tiny personal challenge to bake every single one of the recipes in the chocolate chapter of this book. That’s 28 chocolate based bakes. I’m nearly there ladies, nearly there. You’ll find this one on pg.171 (next to a recipe for Chocolate-Orange cake which I’m yet to attempt… watch this space).

You will need:
435g tin unsweetened chestnut puree. I struggled to find the sugarless variety in my (admittedly minuscule) local Sainsburys but it was easily acquired from our local Deli.
125g soft unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp dark rum
6 large eggs, separated
250g melted chocolate (I used a combination of 100g dark and 150g milk Green & Blacks, but go with whatever your taste buds prefer)
pinch of salt
50g caster sugar
25g light muscovado sugar

22cm Springform tin, greased and lined (although I’m almost certain mine is 23cm)

• Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4
• Beat the chestnut puree with the butter, then add the vanilla, rum, egg yolks and melted chocolate, blending well.
• In another large bowl, whip the eggs with the salt until they’re foamy.
• Add the caster sugar gradually to form stiffer. glossy peaks, and then sprinkle the muscovado sugar over and either fold in or whisk in slowly.
• Fold the whites, gently but assertively, into the chestnut mixture, a third at a time.
• Pour into the tin and cook for 45 minutes.
• The cake should be risen and firm on top. It will look dry and cracked, but don’t panic, it won’t taste dry and the cracks don’t matter a damn.
• Cool in the tin for 20 minutes, and then turn out on a rack. When you want to eat it, dust with icing sugar and, as Nigella says, ‘serve with modest pride’.

Loveaudrey xxx