This decadent recipe is by Dorie Greenspan (Baking with Dorie, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021). She calls it her Lisbon Chocolate Cake, after tasting something similar at Lisbon's Landeau Chocolate cafe. She says the three layers are essential to make the whole - a fudgy brownie-like cake, a whipped moussey ganache and a cocoa dusting.


1/3 c / 28 g cocoa

1 1/2 Tbsp cornflour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

113 g butter or dairy-free spread

142 g dark chocolate, chopped

1/2 c sugar

3 cold eggs


Ganache:

1 3/4 c / 420 ml cream (I used 300 ml coconut cream and 120 ml dairy cream)

170 g dark chocolate, chopped


3 Tbsp cocoa powder for dusting


Preheat oven to 160C. Line the bottom of a 22 cm round cake tin.

In a small bowl sift the cocoa, cornflour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine.

In a large bowl set over a bain marie (small saucepan with 2-3 cm boiling water in it), stir the butter and chocolate until melted.

Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar with a rubber spatula. Add the cold eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then keep mixing with the spatula until thick and glossy and leaves a ribbon trail.

Add the dry ingredients all at once and stir until fully blended. Pour into your tin and give it a few taps on the bench to remove any air bubbles.

Bake for 18-20 minutes until just set on top (better to underbake than overbake). Let cool on a wire rack for a few minutes then remove from the tin and place right side up on the rack. Wash and dry the tin.

To make the ganache, heat up 300 ml of the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once you see bubbles around the edge, remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until fully combined..

Transfer to a large bowl and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Stir the ganache with a whisk and return to the fridge for another 10 minutes. Repeat this chilling and whisking another 4 or 5 times until the ganache has thickened and cool to the touch.

Line your cake tin with two long pieces of baking paper positioned like a cross with plenty of overhang. Place the cooled cake inside.

Whip the remaining 1/2 c / 120 ml cream until soft peaks form. Fold into the cooled ganache until fully blended. Spread evenly over the cake and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Loosen the edges of the cake and lift out of the tin using the strips of baking paper. Give it a good dusting of sifted cocoa powder then slide onto a serving plate. Use a warmed knife to cut slices and wipe it between each cut.

Store covered in the fridge for up to 2 days or it can be frozen for up to 2 months. Excellent with ice cream!