Easter Egg Nest Cake (gluten free)

Now I know I've been slack. I've been meaning to come online and actually post the recipes I've photographed over the last few months and just never quite got around to it... not having internet connection on at the house anymore makes it slightly less convenient but not really all that difficult. Truth is I don't really have an excuse.

Anyway I made this cake to take to an Easter Sunday lunch.
It's a Nigella Lawson recipe, brilliant for being a recipe that is actually gluten free without me having to do any fiddling at all. It is rich.
Actually it would be hard to overstate that. Nigella is the queen of rich, decadent desserts and this cake is exactly that. I have actually been accosted in the supermarket by people who had a sliver of this cake at that lunch. It evidently made an impression.

If you are looking for something very rich and decadent to serve and don't mind being known as the "lady who made that incredibly rich chocolate cake" then this is the one for you.

The leftovers (there were some) spent the night in the fridge and actually were much nicer the next day although the eggs didn't look so good by then. I'm not sure why that was but my darling husband agreed so it wasn't just my imagination. If I were to make this again I'd probably leave it in the fridge overnight and serve chilled the next day for something akin to an amazing chocolate cheesecake. It wouldn't be so pretty but it would be divine.
It serves 8-10. Nigella says she would make it if there were only 4 of them to feed, I think you could easily stretch it to 12 or even 16. You really don't need much.

For the cake:
250g best quality dark eating chocolate, chopped
125g unsalted softened butter
6 eggs: 2 whole, 4 separated
175g caster sugar: 75g for the yolk mixture; 100g for the whites
1tsp real vanilla extract

For the topping:
125g best quality dark eating chocolate, chopped
250ml double cream
1tsp real vanilla extract
1-2 packets of small sugar coated easter eggs as desired (check the ingredients list to make sure they are actually gluten free, you could substitute with foil wrapped ones if necessary)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Line the bottom of a 23cm round springform cake tin with baking paper. Do not grease the sides of the tin.

Melt the 250g chocolate together with the butter. Nigella recommends a double boiler or microwave but I just throw them into a non-stick saucepan and stir, the butter protects the chocolate a bit as it melts so you can get away with it. Set it aside to cool slightly.

Whisk the 4 egg whites until firm, then gradually add the 100g of sugar and whisk until the whites are holding their own shape and peak gleamingly - but not stiff.

In another bowl whisk the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with the 75g sugar and the vanilla extract, then gently fold in the chocolate mixture. Lighten the mixture with some of the egg whites - just dollop a large spoonfull in and stir briskly - and then fold in the rest of the whisked whites gently, in about 3 goes.

Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40mins or until the cake is risen and cracked and the centre is no longer wobbly on the surface.

Cool the cake in it's tin on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools and the sides splinter. You want this to look like a cake with a crater in the middle, so do not panic at the vision of imperfection in front of you. That's one of the reasons this cake is so unstressful to make. (I love that bit!)

To finish the cake, carefully remove it from the tin and place it on a plate or cake stand, not worrying if bits fall off here and there. Put them back in a loose fashion.

Melt the chocolate for the topping and leave it to cool a little. Whip the cream until it is firming up and aerated but still soft, and then add the vanilla and fold in the melted chocolate. Fill the crater of the cake with the chocolatey cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake with a rubber spatula, and then arranging the little easter eggs on top.

Ours was served with whipped cream with some vanilla bean through it and that was perfect.

I have to admit that as I was assembling it I was thinking how everyone would assume I had messed it up and tried to hide it with the cream... I kept telling people that it had turned out exactly like the one in the book. Nigella Lawson is possibly the only person on the planet who could whip up a "crater cake", serve it at a dinner party and then publish it in a recipe book complete with instructions to stay calm as it collapses and not feed it to the dog and serve something else. She is an incredible woman.