I have altered this recipe a little from my original baking book, cutting back the sugar and water and find this version more successful.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
• 1 cup hot water
• ¼ cup whisky or fruit juice
• 175 grams dark chocolate, chopped
• 250 grams butter, diced
• 1½ cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 quantity rich chocolate icing

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 140ºC. Grease and line a 23cm cake tin with baking paper.
2. Put the coffee, hot water and whisky or fruit juice into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat.
3. Add the chocolate and butter and stir until melted.
4. Add the sugar and stir until it has dissolved. Allow to cool.
5. In a large bowl, sift the flour and baking soda together and make a well in the centre.
6. Beat the eggs together with the vanilla essence and stir into the cooled chocolate mixture.
7. Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently to mix.
8. Transfer to the prepared cake tin.
9. Bake in the preheated oven for 1¼-1½ hours until the cake has shrunk back from the sides of the tin and is firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to cool.
10. Pour the warm rich chocolate icing over the cooked cake, spreading with a palette knife around the edges, if wished. Allow to stand for approximately 1 hour for the glaze to set before cutting into wedges.
11. Any remaining icing can be chilled and teaspoonful lots rolled into balls and used as decoration with cachous or similar.

Cooks Tips

- If you prefer a much stronger flavour, use 1¼ cups of strong filter coffee in place of instant coffee and water.