Chocolate Fudge Cake

I am well and truly hooked on yet another season of MasterChef. And this year, Angus is into it for the first time too. His favourite is Gary, closely followed by George and then "the big fella", as he refers to Matt. The other night, Peter Gilmore's Eight-Textured Chocolate Cake literally had me drooling. An absolute work of art. I'm determined to get myself along to Quay restaurant at some stage, just to order one of those beauties for dessert.

This afternoon presented the perfect opportunity for a bit of baking. Cold, rainy, just the kind of weather to have the oven cranking away to heat the house nicely. And I just so happened to find the simplest of simple recipes in my Women's Weekly Easy Cakes & Biscuits cookbook. Whilst it is no Eight-Textured Chocolate Cake, it is a mighty fine alternative. Deceptively light and velvety (given all that dark chocolate inside) and completely YUM. The only thing missing was a dollop of vanilla ice-cream or double cream. Next time!

Chocolate Fudge Cake

250g dark eating chocolate, chopped

125g butter, chopped coarsely

2/3 cup caster sugar

2/3 cup self-raising flour

4 eggs, beaten lightly

Preheat oven to 180 degrees (160 for fan-forced)

Grease 20cm x 30cm rectangular pan

Line base & long sides with baking paper

Stir chocolate and butter in medium heatproof bowl over

saucepan of simmering water 

(do not allow the water to touch base of bowl)

Combine chocolate mixture and remaining ingredients in medium bowl

Beat on low speed with electric mixer until ingredients are combined

Increase speed to medium; beat about 3 minutes or until mixture

is changed in colour and smooth

Pour mixture into pan

Bake about 30 minutes

Stand cake in pan 5 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto wire rack

to cool

Serve dusted with cocoa powder, if desired