Rich Chocolate Mousse Cake

Ingredients:

125g butter
250g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids), chopped
3 eggs, separated
50g golden caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp mixed spice (pumpkin pie spice)
3 egg whites
1/2 tsp icing sugar

Method:

Gently melt the butter in a saucepan. Take off the heat, add the chocolate and stir until melted. If all the chocolate has not melted after about 1 minute return the pan to gentle heat and stir until dissolved then take off the heat.

Combine the egg yolks in a bowl with half the sugar and 1 tsp of the mixed spice. Beat the mixture with a whisk until pale and thick, then fold in the chocolate mixture.

Add the egg whites to a clean, grease-free bowl then whisk until they form stiff peaks. Gradually whisk in the remaining sugar until the egg whites are glossy and stiff.

Add a large spoonful of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture, quickly folding in with a metal spoon to slacken it. Now carefully fold in the remaining egg whites until just incorporated.

Spoon the resultant batter into a 20cm diameter springform cake tin, the base of which has been lined with greaseproof (waxed) paper. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for between 40 and 45 minutes, or until well risen and golden brown on top.

Allow to cool completely in the tin, with a piece of kitchen foil over the top to help soften the crust.

To serve, loosen the edges of the cake with a round-ended flat-bladed knife and remove the tin. Carefully slice the cake from the tin's base onto a serving plate.

Mix together the remaining mixed spice with the icing sugar and dust this combination over the cake. Serve warm, sliced into wedges.