recipe of the week: chocolate mouse cake

are you ready for the heart attack inducing, painful decadence?

300g green and black's dark chocolate
300g green and black's milk chocolate
400g (!) butter, plus some for greasing a 10inch loose bottom baking tin
4 large eggs
120g plus a spoonful of caster sugar
lots of strawberries, quartered
drizzle of hard liquor (i used brandy)
vanilla ice cream or sour cream or double cream

macerate the quartered strawberries with a spinkling of sugar and drizzle of liquor, mix occasionally, leave for at least and hour.
preheat oven 160C/325F/gas mark 3.
line the baking tin with parchment paper and grease.
melt all the butter and chocolate over a double boiler on medium heat, stir regularly, set aside to cool completely when silky and smooth.
beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl with hand blender until trebled in volume.
add a quarter of the cooled chocolate to the eggs and mix gently until thoroughly incorporated, add the rest of the chocolate and fold together until well mixed.
pour the cake into the tin, bake for 8 minutes.
lick the chocolate bowl clean.

8 minutes wasn't long enough when i made this last night. i left it in for about 15mins but it still could have done with longer. it needs to be squiggy but firm enough to hold it's shape when cut.

serve a sliver of cake with ice cream and juicy strawberries.

if you're thinking you'll leave out the cream to save calories, you'll be sorry. you need something creamy to cut through the rich chocolatey goodness. go hard or go home, this is not for the faint of heart!