This is a chocolate cake to die for. Very rich and with a wonderful texture, it is an inspiration from "The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Chocolate".

Ingredients

• ¼ cup polenta
• ½ cup boiling water
• 5 eggs, separated
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 250 grams dark chocolate (Energy is good here)
• 1 cup ground almonds
• ½ cup flour
• 2 tsp grated orange zest
• 200 grams ricotta cheese
• 50 grams chocolate, roughly chopped
• ¾ cup stoned cherries, chopped (use bottle, fresh or frozen cherries)
• 1 tblsp Baileys Irish Cream or Crème de Cassis (blackcurrent liquer)
• 2 tblsp icing sugar
• 200 grams chocolate
• 1 cup cream
• chocolate curls (optional)

Method

1. Pour the boiling water over the polenta, stir and cover. Leave to stand for 20-30 minutes.
2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over the warm water, alternatively microwave on high for 1 minute. Cool.
3. Whisk the egg yolks with the caster sugar until thick and creamy.
4. Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and stir in the cooked polenta, ground almonds, flour and orange rind.
5. Whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into the cake mixture. Spoon into 2 well-greased and lined 23cm tins. Cook at 190°C for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to serve.

Filling

1. Combine the ricotta with the chocolate, cherries, Baileys and icing sugar.

Chocolate Ganache

1. Break the chocolate into squares and combine ? cup cream in a bowl. Heat gently over warm water, alternatively microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from heat, gradually beat in the remaining cream, cool until ready to use.
2. Assembly: Fill the chocolate cake with ricotta mixture. Spread the chocolate ganache over the top and sides of the cake. Chill in the fridge to set the ganache for about 30 minutes. Decorate with chocolate curls to serve.

Cooks Tips

- If you do not have heart-shaped tins, use 20cm or 22cm round cake tins. - To make chocolate curls, gently melt dark chocolate in a bowl over warm water. Spread the chocolate evenly, about 3mm thick, over a clean baking sheet or a marble slab if you have one. Allow to set until just firm (the time this takes will depend on the room temperature, but allow 10-20 minutes). Using the blad of a long sharp knife held with both hands at a 45º angle, scrape the chocolate away from you to form curls. If the chocolate fragments, it is too cool and needs to come back to remperature. Store the curls in an airtight container in the refrigerator.