Ingredients

Method

• ½ cup Coca-Cola
• ¼ cup brandy, or 2 T brandy essence
• 200 g butter, cubed
• 180 g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly broken
• 2 T good-quality cocoa powder, sifted
• 4 free-range eggs, separated
• 220 g caster sugar
• 240 g ground almonds
• For the chocolate fudge sauce:
• 1 x 80 g dark or milk chocolate slab
• ½ x 385 g condensed milk can
• 2 T brandy, or 1 T brandy essence
• For the caramel sauce:
• 200 g sugar
• 85 g butter
• ½ cup cream
• 1 T brandy, or brandy essence 1 T

Method

Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Simmer the Coca-Cola in a saucepan over a medium heat until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Add the brandy, butter, dark chocolate and cocoa. Return to the heat and stir until well incorporated. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Using an electric hand-mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl until pale and thick.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Add the melted chocolate mixture and ground almonds to the egg yolk mixture, folding through gently until combined.

Use a large metal spoon to fold half the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remaining egg whites.

Gently pour the batter into a greased 22-cm springform cake tin and bake for 35–40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out with large crumbs attached to it when inserted.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Remove the cake from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool.

To make the chocolate fudge sauce, melt the chocolate in a double-boiler. Remove from the heat and stir in the condensed milk and brandy. Allow to cool slightly, then drizzle over the cooled cake.

To make the caramel sauce, heat the sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat until it has dissolved and turned golden brown. Stir in the butter. Remove from the heat and pour in the cream and brandy, stirring to combine. Allow to cool, then pour over the iced cake.