Chocolate rum cake

Now this is some chocolate cake!!! It did not raise as much as I thought it would, but it looked amazing nonetheless and tasted delicious.


Serves 8 - 10

For the sponge:
200g plain chocolate
100g butter (I use only olive spread nowadays)
3 eggs, separated
100g dark muscovado sugar
50ml dark rum
75g self-raising flour
50g ground almonds

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 20cm diameter cake tin.

2. Melt the chocolate using the bain-marie technique.

3. Place the 3 egg yolks and the sugar in a bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. Add the melted chocolate and the rum . Mix well. Fold in the flour and almonds.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until firm, then fold into the chocolate mixture.

5. Pour into the prepared tin and bake fo 45 minutes. Leave to cool down completely on a wire rack and cut the cake in half horizontally.

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For the filling and icing:
225g plain chocolate
100g butter, cubed
3 TBSP apricot jam, warmed

1. Melt the chocolate bain-marie, add the cubed butter and the apricot and stir until thickened.
2. Spread half of it on the bottom layer of the sponge. Cover with the top sponge.
3. Pour/Brush the remaining of the icing over the cake.

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For decoration:
1/2 apricot, thinly sliced, for decoration
3 TBSP apricot jam, warmed, for the glazing

1. arrange the apricot slices into a flower shape on top of the cake.
2. Brush the warm jam onto the cake to glaze.

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For the ganache piping:
175g plain chocolate
4 TBSP single cream
50g butter, cubed
2 egg yolks
1 TBSP rum

1. Melt the chocolate bain-marie with the cream. Leave to cool slightly then beat in the butter a little at a time. Beat in the egg yolks and rum and leave to cool until firm.
2. Spoon into a piping bag with star nozzle and pipe little rosettes to decorate.