Chocolate cake

To prepare the chocolate cake, first roughly chop the dark chocolate 1, then melt it in a microwave or bain-marie 2 and let it cool, stirring occasionally 3.

Cut the butter (at room temperature) into cubes and pour it into a mixer bowl, together with the sugar 4. Start the machine at medium speed with the beater and work the butter until it is reduced to a cream 5. Now break the eggs into a bowl and put one egg into the mixer bowl at a time 6,

make sure the egg is completely absorbed before adding the next one 7. Continue in this way until you get a soft and homogeneous cream. Pour the now lukewarm chocolate directly into the bowl of the running mixer 8 and blend well 9.

Add salt to the mixture 10. Mix the flour with the cocoa and yeast in a bowl 11, then sift it all directly into the chocolate mixture 12.

Use a spatula to gently blend the sifted ingredients into the mixture 13. Line a 9” (22-24 cm) round cake pan with baking paper and pour the dough into it.

Level the surface 16 and bake in a conventional oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for about 40-45 minutes (if you use a convection oven bake at 325°F /160°C for about 35 minutes). To check the baking, test it with a toothpick: if you stick it in and it emerges dry, it means that the cake is done; if not, continue baking for a few minutes. Once baked, take out the chocolate cake 17 and let it cool before removing it from the pan. Then place it on a rack 18 to cool completely before serving.