Recipes from Le Tasting Room's kitchen - squidgy chocolate raspberry dessert

I’m calling this a squidgy chocolate raspberry dessert rather than a cake because there is no flour and it’s something you would serve as dessert rather than with a coffee in the morning or cup of tea in the afternoon (not that you couldn’t of course because it’s delicious!).

If you have a glut of late summer raspberries in the garden then this is the dessert for you. It’s easy to make and does freeze if you are cooking in advance.

You will need:

200g dark chocolate (I use the Lindt 70% intense bars)

200g unsalted butter

4 eggs – yolks and whites separated

85g of caster sugar (65g + 20g beaten with the egg whites)

33g ground almonds

A pinch of salt

250g of fresh raspberries (I used quite a bit more as I sprinkled extra ones on the top before serving but this is not necessary)

A couple of sprigs of fresh mint

Mix the egg yolks, 65g of the sugar and the ground almonds in a large mixing bowl. Pre-heat your oven to 150°C (302°F).

The egg yolks, sugar and ground almonds mixed together

Melt the chocolate with the butter cut into cubes in a bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water until it is smooth. When it’s smooth, remove from the heat and pour onto the egg yolk, sugar, almond mixture. Mix thoroughly.

Melting the chocolate and butter together gently

Beat the egg whites until the soft peak stage, add the 20g of caster sugar and continue to beat until firm

Beat the egg whites until soft, add the sugar and beat until firm

Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture little by little. When it’s all incorporated, pour into a buttered baking tin lined on the bottom with a circle of baking paper around 20cm wide and 4cm high.

Gently folding in the beaten egg whites

Sprinkle the rasperries on the top of the mixture and cook in the oven for 35 minutes. When it comes out of the oven the centre still looks quite squidgy and soft. Don’t worry, it will firm up a little after cooling and after all that’s what we are looking for, a soft and squidgy dessert. If you are eating the same day you don’t need to put in the fridge. It can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge in which case be sure to bring it out a good couple of hours before serving allowing it to come to room temperature.

Just out of the oven. Leave to cool before serving or put in the fridge when cool for the following day.

When serving you can leave it as it is and just add the mint leaves finely shredded or do as I did and add more fresh raspberries on top of the cooked dessert.