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PdfEquipment: 1 x 8inch tin. A 9inch tin would also work, just watch the bake!
Serves 8
Preheat oven to 120c fan. Line an 8-inch tin with paper and wrap well with clingfilm and foil.
Start by melting the chocolate and butter together gently. Once melted, whisk in 2 tbsp of water, the salt and the cocoa powder. The water helps prevent the mixture from seizing when you later add the egg yolks.
Make the meringue: Add the egg whites into a bowl, then whisk on high speed for 30 seconds. For the next 30 seconds, add the sugar bit by bit. Turn the mixer to medium and whisk for 6-8 minutes until a glossy, dense meringue forms. It should be shiny and thick but not too stiff - when the beaters are lifted, it should gently flop onto itself. All our mixers are different, so keep checking - you want the meringue to be flexible and firm! You can finish it off by hand, if you want.
Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate butter mixture. Then, whisk in about 40g of meringue to loosen the mixture. Gently fold the rest of the meringue mixture and chocolate mixture together.
Transfer into your lined pan and smooth with an offset spatula. Place tin into a deep sided, oven safe dish and carefully pour boiling hot water into the dish.
Bake for 45min-1 hour until risen and dry on top. If desired, you can temp the cake to ascertain doneness. It should be around 78-84c inside. If it cracks, don't worry! The top will become the bottom.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely - you can remove from the water once you are able to handle the tin. If a little water has gotten into your cake, don't worry too much - just drain as much as you can and leave. Sogginess actually isn't a concern with this cak!
To transfer the cake neatly, either chill completely in the fridge OR place in the freezer for 20 minutes then remove the tin and paper. Place the serving plate on top of the cake, then flip it, so the bottom is now the top. Dust with cocoa powder and enjoy at room temperature. Remember, you can microwave this cake (from fridge cold) for 30 seconds (then 10 second increments) to get it back to its best.
Serve with whipped creme fraiche - combine equal parts creme fraiche and double cream and whip til thick and soft peaks. Spoon over slices cut with a hot, dry knife. The best way to achieve this is pouring water from a freshly boiled kettle over the knife then drying between slices.