A simple yet rich and sophisticated cake which works particularly well as an adult dessert. It's delicious served with cream and raspberries. Naturally gluten-free.
Place the butter, sugar and chocolate in a large pan over a very low heat and leave to melt. Stir until combined. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little.
150 g unsalted butter, 150 g muscovado sugar, 100 g dark chocolate
Separate the eggs and beat the yolks into the butter mixture along with the marsala.
2 eggs, 1 tbsp Marsala
Sieve in the cocoa powder and stir. Then add the polenta and ground almonds and stir until just combined.
30 g cocoa powder, 75 g fine polenta, 75 g ground almonds
Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff. This is easiest done with electric beaters, but you can do it by hand if you're feeling strong. Fold carefully into the chocolate mixture so that you don't lose too much air.
Bake in a 20cm (8") prepared round cake tin for 35-40 minutes or until firm to the touch.
Leave in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Sprinkle with a little sieved icing sugar or cocoa powder and serve with raspberries. A dollop of cream or crème fraîche is a good addition too.
Notes
If you're catering for anyone who is celiac, check all your ingredients to ensure they're certified gluten-free. Otherwise there's no guarantee that foods such as chocolate, ground almonds and polenta don't contain traces of gluten.It's not the prettiest of cakes straight out of the tin, so either dust the top with icing sugar or cocoa powder before serving.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.