French Chocolate Cake With Butterscotch Frosting

Ingredients

Cake

• 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 10 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 eggs, separated
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt

Butterscotch Frosting

• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 ½ Tablespoons milk
• 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
• ½ Tablespoon black treacle (or blackstrap molasses)
• 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• ½ cup chopped milk chocolate, for garnish

Directions

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9 inch spring form pan, sprinkle with sugar and then tap out any excess.
3. Place chocolate, butter and 2 tablespoons of sugar in a heavy saucepan and cook over low heat until melted. Remove and stir in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.
4. Beat egg yolks one at a time into chocolate mixture, then stir in flour.
5. In a new bowl, beat egg whites with salt until soft peaks form.
6. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons sugar over whites and beat until stiff and glossy.
7. Beat 1/3 of egg whites into chocolate, and then fold in the rest. Pour into pan, tap sides to remove air bubbles.
8. Bake for 35-45 minutes until risen and starting to remove from the sides of pan.
9. Transfer to a wire rack, removing the side and leaving to cool.

Frosting

1. In the meanwhile prepare frosting by placing butter, sugar, treacle (or molasses) in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the butter and sugar melt.
2. Remove and stir in confectioners’ sugar. Beat until smooth and glossy.
3. Pour over cooled cake and top with chopped milk chocolate.