French chocolate cake

For French chocolate cake, you will need:

3/4 cup caster sugar

10oz / 275g dark chocolate

2 tsp vanilla extract

6oz / 175g unsalted butter

5 eggs, separated

1/3 cup plain flour

salt

1 heaped tbsp icing / confectioners' sugar

(makes one 8-inch cake)

Place a heat-proof glass bowl over a small pan of simmering water. Melt the chocolate, butter and all but 3 tbsp of the caster sugar in the bowl, stirring all the time. When melted, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the vanilla extract. Beat the egg yolks into this, one at a time.

Butter a 8-inch springform tin / pan, sprinkle and sprinkle evenly with sugar.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Sprinkle over the remaining 3 tbsp caster sugar and whisk until glossy and stiff. Mix a couple of tbsp of this meringue with the chocolate mixture to lighten the mixture, then fold in the rest of the meringue.

Pour this mixture into the prepared pan and bake in a preheated oven at 160°C (325°F) for 45 minutes), until the top of the cake is firm to touch. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Serve with vanilla icecream.