Chocolate fudge cakes

After spending way to much time away from the stove I figured it was time for some proper baking and what better recipes to try then Donna Hay’s? I love her recipes and have already quite a stack of favorites that I turn to time after time (the chocolate mousse recipe is just too good!! If you haven’t already, you should really give it a try!)

This particular recipe comes from the book Modern Classics part II. It has lots and lots of gorgeous sweeties in there and for today I picked the chocolate fudge cakes. And believe me, they are every bit as delicious as the look!

I had to work in the morning, it’s the time of year where couple are getting ready for their marriages in 2010, so I have quite a few meetings with potential customers these days. Plus I had one preweddingshoot in the studio as well. I had to pick up my new glasses (the one you look through.. ) in town also, plus I had to buy myself a castiron pan.

You see, I have joined the Cooking Italy group which is led by Angela, from Spinach Tiger. I’ve only just joined and have only received the book we are cooking from today, but it’s a fun group of people and well, I love Italian food so what better way to practice then to join the group? I am making my first recipe for the group tonight, which is a bolognese sauce. I’ll post about it tomorrow since I haven’t eaten it yet. But I needed a good cast-iron pan for that so bought that this afternoon as well.

More to follow on that tomorrow! Since I had to be in the kitchen anyway to keep an eye on the Bolognese I figured I could make something else in the meantime as well and these little fudge cakes are delicious. The perfect ending for a meal or just something to enjoy in between meals… Basically I could eat them all day long, lol…

Here is the recipe!

CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKES (from Donna Hay, Modern Classics, volume II)

185 gr good dark chocolate, chopped

185 gr butter

4 eggs, split

110 gr. sugar

55 gr ground almonds

3 tbsp flour

pinch of salt

3 tbsp sugar, extra

Heat the oven to 180°C. Put chocolate and butter in a saucepan and, on a very low fire, stir untill melted and smooth (I actually did this au bain marie. Felt safer to do it that way). Set aside.

Mix eggyolk and the sugar and whisk untill light and creamy. Add the chocolate mixture, almonds, salt and flour and mix with a spatula.

Whisk the eggwhites untill forming stiff peaks. Add the sugar slowly untill the mixture is shining. Mix the eggwhites through the chocolate mixture with a spatula.

Grease 6 ovenproof dishes or cups or ramekins of about 250 ml each. Put the mixture in and put them in an ovendish. Pour hot water into the dish so the ovenproof dishes are halfway in the water. bake for 25 minutes or untill they are done. They should be baked on the edges and outside but still slightly soft on the inside. Serve with whipped cream.

For 6 people.

Enjoy!!