Ingredients – Serves 8
- 150g gluten-free dark chocolate
- 125g butter
- 6 eggs – separated
- 125g golden caster sugar
- 150g blanched hazelnuts
- 8 green cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
- Crème fraîche, ice cream or extra thick cream to serve
Method
- Toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan until golden, then leave to cool slightly and blitz to a fine consistency in a food processor.
- Remove the cardamom seeds from their pods and grind using a pestle and mortar.
- Heat oven to 160C (140 if fan oven) and grease and line the base of a 23cm spring-form cake tin.
- Use a microwave to melt the chocolate with the butter in 30-sec bursts until glossy and smooth or melt over a bain marie – leave to cool slightly.
- Using an electric whisk, whisk the egg whites until they reach stiff peaks. Then whisk the yolks with the sugar in a separate bowl, until pale.
- Combine the chocolate with the egg yolk mixture, then incorporate the cocoa powder, a pinch of salt, the cardamom seeds and hazelnuts.
- Add a spoonful of egg white to the batter, stirring it through to loosen the mix, then fold in the rest, taking care to keep in as much air as possible.
- Gently pour into the tin and bake for 35 mins.
- Leave to cool in the tin, then dust with cocoa powder and serve with crème fraîche, berries and a sprig of fresh mint.
