BETTE NOIRE

Ingredients......110gm of castor sugar, an extra 2 tbs of castor sugar, 250gm of 70% cocoa chocolate ( finely chopped), 100gm of softened butter/ marg, 3 eggs lightly beaten, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 2 tbs of Dutch cocoa powder for dusting. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Grease and line a 20cm /8" round pan. You will need a baking pan that will hold the cake pan in a water bath. Combine 110gm sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a small saicepan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and and add the chopped chocolate and stir until until smooth, then add the butter/ marg and stir until melted. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large bowl. Beat the eggs, extra sugar and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until tripled in volume. Now gently fold into the chocolate mixture until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan. Place the cake pan in a baking dish/ pan and fill with enough boiling water to come half way up the cake pan. Bake in the preheated oven at 160 deg cfor 45 minutes or until the cake centre has risen and is slightly domed. The cake will be slightly soft to touch. Remove the cake from the water bath and cool to room temperature and refrigerate in the cake pan overnight until firm. To serve remove the cake carefully from the pan and slice into wedges with a hot dry knife. Dust the wedges with cocoa powder and serve with thickened cream and fresh raspberries. This is a very rich and chocolately cake. Best serve only small wedges.