Chocolate and apricot Torte



Rich with brandy-steeped fruit, this is a cake for chocolate lovers. Dark and dense and not the sweetest of cakes, but dolloped with some really good vanilla ice cream or creme fraiche, a treat of a dessert. The original recipe which I will post is to use prunes, which I think would be preferable to apricots, perhaps softer and sweeter and complimenting the chocolate more. The recipe is from the GoodFood website.


Ingredients
Serves 8 -10
250g no-soak prunes, halved
4 tbsp brandy
25g cocoa powder
100g plain chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids), in pieces
50g butter
175g golden caster sugar
4 large egg whites
85g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon 
lightly whipped cream or crème fraîche, to serve

Method
Put the prunes and brandy in a small bowl and leave to steep for about 30 minutes until most of the brandy has been absorbed.
Preheat the oven to 190C. Grease a 23cm/9in loose-bottomed cake tin or springform tin. Put the cocoa, chocolate, butter and 140g of the sugar in a pan, add 100ml of hot water and gently heat until the mixture is smooth. Leave to cool slightly.
Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the remaining sugar. Sift the flour and cinnamon over and gently fold in with a metal spoon, until almost combined. Add the chocolate mix and fold in until evenly combined.
Pour the mixture into the tin and arrange the prunes over the top (they will sink into the sponge during baking). Sprinkle over any remaining brandy and bake for about 30 minutes until just firm. Serve with cream or crème fraîche.

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