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Neil Perry

Chocolate Cake


Chocolate Cake

This is my and my daughter Josephine’s favourite chocolate cake. It has a heavenly texture. It is like a chocolate soufflé — and it behaves like one, as it rises and falls. So don’t freak out as it drops in the middle, because it has no flour to hold it up.

It keeps well for two days, as long as it isn’t put in the refrigerator; this will result in it becoming hard and unpalatable.

Serves 10

Ingredients

  • 400 g good quality dark chocolate broken up
  • 6 eggs seperated
  • 150 g caster sugar
  • 2½ tablespoons cointreau
  • 300 ml pure whipping cream plus extra, whipped to serve.
  • Icing sugar

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 175°C (345°F/Gas 3).
  2. Cut a piece of greaseproof paper to fit a 20 cm (8 inch) round cake tin, with a double layer for the side and a single layer for the bottom.
  3. Spray the tin with cooking oil and fit the greaseproof paper in snugly.
  4. Melt the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl set over a saucepan of hot water.
  5. Don’t let the water in the saucepan boil, as you can scald the chocolate.
  6. Remove the chocolate from the heat and allow to return to room temperature.
  7. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and two-thirds of the sugar until pale and creamy.
  8. Add the Cointreau and continue to beat until well combined.
  9. Add the chocolate to the egg yolk mixture and stir until completely incorporated, then slowly stir in half the cream. Set aside.
  10. Whip the remaining cream until soft peaks form.
  11. Set aside.
  12. Start whisking the egg whites in a very clean bowl.
  13. When soft peaks start to form, slowly add the remaining sugar and whip until very firm.
  14. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Finally, fold in the whipped egg whites.
  15. Pour into the cake tin, put the tin in a bain-marie or on a baking tray and add enough hot water to come about 2.5 cm (1 inch) up the outside of the tin.
  16. Bake for 45 minutes.
  17. Turn the oven down to 150°C (300°F/Gas 2) and bake for a further 45 minutes.
  18. Turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven for 20 minutes.
  19. Cut around the edge of the tin, turn it over onto a plate and the cake should slide out easily.
  20. Cut slices using a knife dipped in hot water and clean the knife after each cut.
  21. Place on white plates.
  22. Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with lightly whipped cream.
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What do you think?

 
  • carmen
    6 months ago

    the chocolate cake very good

  • dreema
    March 2011

    You guys who have made this cake... a question.... Did you cook it in the 20cm tin (someone said that size was too small) AND did you TURN IT OVER onto a serving plate so the bottom was on the top??? As Neil has said to do?

  • Moreplease
    March 2011

    It was my birthday yesterday and this was what I made to celebrate it. I made it with cognac instead of cointreau - delicious. My sons (7 and 10 yrs old) helped their dad to decorate it and "surprise" me with it. It's the nicest birthday I've had, even if I must say so myself.

  • KF11
    December 2009

    Can anybody tell me if this cake will freeze?

    • ube
      May 2010

      No he says up the top not to refrigerate as it will change the texture of the cake.

  • Carleen
    December 2009

    I am making it this week and if it as it sounds will be having it on Xmas day, have some real chocoholics coming!

  • HS35
    November 2009

    Wonderful taste and texture. Will make it most weekends. Grandpa to kids... everyone just loved it.

  • Kerry106
    November 2009

    The best chocolate cake I have ever made.

  • KMTV
    October 2009

    a tip withyour cake tin!get a large piece of happy wrap and place that on a piece of foil of the same size. Place the tin on top and bring up all around the tin before putting in mixture and then place it into your bath.. sorry au bain marie...it is a good way to be safe incase your tin leaks...

  • Tiggy
    October 2009

    Heaven on a plate. My two favourite ingredients combined. Chocolate and cream

  • LESLIE5
    September 2009

    WILL CERTINLY GIVE THIS RECIPE AGO.

  • sweet treat
    August 2009

    ok. after the disaster that was my first bash, i gave this cake a second try (mostly to use up the rest of the contreau). It went much better since i didn't put the leaky tin into a bay maree. I like it better the next day rather than fresh. And i stand by my comment about the extra contreau.

  • Alison105
    August 2009

    Yummy and gluten free !!!

  • Mrs
    June 2009

    Neil Perry, your recipes are the best. I love looking at your recipes and getting ideas. So easy to make, so easy to follow. LOVE THEM ALL...... thankyou very much for all your recipes. The choclate cake is the easiest and best.

    • Mrs
      August 2009

      Hey loco, would you like an easy chocolate cake recipe? Let me know and I shall give you an easy recipe, ok???

    • sweet treat
      June 2009

      Hey Mrs...this cake is anything BUT easy to make. loco

  • Jennifer Brockhoff

    This recipe is horrible.... it was far too big for the pan and the heat specified above is too much, meaning the top of the cafe burnt but the bottom isn't cooked.

  • MM282
    May 2009

    when you lot made this did it really dip in the centre?

    • fxl
      December 2010

      I made this and as the cake cooled, it did dip in the middle but with the whipped cream dumped in the middle, it was great.

  • Crazygal
    May 2009

    I'm going to make this cake this weekend. Wonder what it will taste like with chilli in it! I LOVE chilli chocolate

  • sweet treat
    April 2009

    I think it needs more cointreau. i put in 3 shot glasses to get a good flavour. nice cake although i have to say that my arm nearly fell off with all the whipping involved (lucky there was a punk drummer on hand with well developed forearm muscles to step in when mine was about to fall off) so i would not recommend making this unless you have an electric mixer. and with all the steps, you'd think that the pony tail could mention to check if the tin is water tight. or maybe i put too much trust in the german engineering of mine. Tres disappointed with the outcome of this! after all that whipping and waiting and waiting and turning the oven down and off and waiting, after my first taste all i could say was "THIS IS BULLSHIT" admitting however that i (or at least my 50 cent cake tin) was probably responsible for it going awry. i'll try it again and let you all know how it goes, and until then, will tape a little mantra to my oven door saying i AM the domestic goddess i always thought. Keep the faith. -- s.t.

    • RS70
      July 2010

      I'm planning on making this tonight & i have a springform pan which i have to say i would not have thought about it leaking in the water. Thanks!

    • LM59
      March 2010

      perhaps it would have been common sense to have covered the outside of the tin with foil

  • Tiny Dancer
    March 2009

    Another great Neil Perry recipe. I made this today and it's almost all gone. Tastes like and has the texture of a souffle but a lot easier to make. Served with cream & raspberries and it was fantastic.

  • GS84
    March 2009

    i made this cake today, it only lasted today with my family, thanking you for the GREAT recipe!

  • anna
    March 2009

    My god, that is positively sinful. A friend was telling me her sister made it last night, I just HAD to find the recipe. I'm drooling all over my keyboard.

  • familyrodi
    February 2009

    Omg this is amazing. Best ever, worked a treat for valentines. Very easy to make

  • JD75
    February 2009

    It sounds really yummy and no flour suits me, as I have an allergy to wheat. The real test will be if my family enjoys sharing this one with me.

    • JD75
      February 2009

      The verdict of this wheat free cake is ABSOLUTELY DELISH, my family loves this one and oh so easy to make. YUM YUM ! { :)

  • JV8
    February 2009

    It sounds gorgeous, I will be making it tonight for a morning tea treat to eat in the garden when we take a break from making our new chook pen.

  • TF36
    February 2009

    This was the most delicious chocolate cook and so easy to cook

    • Rob @ StickySteps.com

      I love moist choc cakes too! I agree neil's is good.

      Check the photo's of my gooey choc on my Aussie food blog

      http://www.stickysteps.com/2009/10/the-very-best-gooey-fudge-mud-chocolate-brownies-and-recipe/

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