I first made this cake in March to celebrate my brother’s birthday and Mother’s Day. I then made it again at the end of the same month. All I can say is, ‘practice makes perfect’…

My first version of the cake collapsed on me because I think I did not allow it to cool long enough. The second version was perfect. Both versions tasted pretty nice. The prunes I think provide a smooth and rather moorish texture.

This is definitely a recipe that I will revisit in the future.

Ingredients

140 g (5oz) prunes, softened, ready-to-eat variety, stoned

4 tablespoons water (80ml/3 fl oz)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

100 (3 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

150 (5 1/2 oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces

4 large eggs – 2 whole and 2 separated

125g (41/2 oz) ground almonds

cocoa powder, for dusting

Methods

Preheat the oven to 170oC. Gently stew the prunes with the water and vanilla extract over a low heat until hot. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to absorb the liquid. Blitz the entire contents in a food processor or blender to make a smooth paste.

Grease the base and sides of a 20cm (8 inch) springform cake tin. Line the base with non-stick baking parchment and dust the sides with cocoa powder.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir in the prune paste.

Whisk the sugar, eggs, and egg yolks together until thick, pale and doubled in volume. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then sift in the ground almonds. Fold until well combined. Whisk the remaining 2 eggs whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold  into the cake batter in 3 additions.

Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 20-25 minutes until the cake has crusted over. Leave the cake to completely cool in the tin – it will sink back and likely crack as it does so. Chill the cake until firm for easier handling.

Remove the cake from the tin, dust with additional cocoa powder and leave to come up to room temperature before serving.

Best eaten on the day it is made, although will keep for 2 -3 days at room temperature, loosely covered. Not suitable for freezing

Reference: Have Your Cake and Eat It – Mich Turner