In the last few weeks I have done a lot of cake orders and done a lot of flat moving. It wasn't until I saw this recipe in a Donna Hay Magazine last week did I feel my groove kick back into gear.
My love of salty and sweet meant that this here recipe ticked all the right boxes. You also can't go past the fudgy and gooey texture. You've got to be game to eat this though that or female because the men who tried it faltered at the richness of it whereas I was slicing myself a second piece.
This cake would be a good one to make last minute to take to a barbecue this summer. All you need is a couple of hours lead time, four-ish ingredients, almost zero skill and maybe a few scoops of ice cream to serve.
What I really want to know is how on earth did she manage to cut such clean slices without the pretzels getting in the way? The pretzels seriously make cutting a nightmare.
Dark Chocolate Pretzel Cake
Makes 20cm cake
115g butter
450g dark chocolate (I used 2x200g blocks and it worked out fine)
4 large eggs, separated
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Approx 1 cup pretzels to decorate
Grease and line a 20cm spring form tin. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees on bake.
In a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt together the butter and the chocolate stirring frequently. Once smooth, remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Whisk the whites of the eggs until foamy then gradually pour in the sugar. Whisk on high until stiff peaks form.
Transfer the chocolate into a large bowl and beat in the egg yolks and salt until smooth. Fold in the egg whites so that the batter becomes fluffy and aerated. Transfer the batter into the prepared tin and bake for around 25 minutes. When you check the cake you want to edges to appear cooked but the centre still ever so slightly gooey. You may need to cook it for a few minutes longer. Leave to cool slightly on the bench before leaving to set fully in the fridge for at least two hours.
To serve, cut strips or wedges and maybe serve with a good dollop of ice cream.
Enjoy!