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Chocolate Lime Cake

Base very closely on Nigella Lawson's Flourless Chocolate Lime Cake with Margarita Cream.

Ingredients​

Cake​

  • 250g caster sugar
  • 150g dark chocolate (chopped)
  • 150g soft unsalted butter (plus some for greasing)
  • 100g ground almonds
  • 6 large eggs
  • 4tsp best-quality cocoa powder (sifted)
  • zest and juice of 1 lime
  • icing sugar to dust

Margarita Cream​

  • 250ml double cream
  • 75g icing sugar
  • 60ml lime juice
  • 1 tbsp tequila
  • 1 tbsp cointreau (or triple sec)

Method​

Cake​

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Line base of a 23cm / 9" springform cake tin with baking paper and butter the sides.
  3. Melt chocolate and butter together either in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave (carefully), then set aside to cool slightly.
  4. Beat eggs and sugar together until about tripled in volume, pale and moussey.
  5. Mix ground almonds with cocoa powder and fold this gently into the egg and sugar mixture, followed by the slightly cooled chocolate and butter. Finally, fold in the zest and juice of your lime.
  6. Pour and scrape mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for 40 to 45 minutes (start to check at 35 minutes); the cake will be just firm on top, but still have a bit of wobble underneath.
  7. Remove from oven and rest in cake tin on a wire rack to cool. Once the first heat has left, drape a clean tea towel over the cake to stop it getting too crusty, though a cracked and cratered surface is to be expected.
  8. When cool, unmould, dust with icing sugar and serve with Margarita Cream.

Margarita Cream​

  1. Combine lime juice, tequila and orange liqueur in a large bowl.
  2. Whisk in icing sugar and let it dissolve.
  3. Slowly whisk in double cream and keep whisking until you have a light, floaty, aerated mixture.
  4. Serve with the Chocolate Lime Cake.