Secret Chocolate Cake

To soak the raisins, place them in a bowl, pour over the Sauternes and cover. Leave for at least 2 hours or overnight, but they will keep (covered) for up to 1 month in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 175°C fan. Line a cake tin with baking paper.

Add your egg yolks and a quarter of the sugar to a mixing bowl. Use an electric whisk to beat them together for about 5-6 mins or until pale, thick and custardy-looking. Set aside.

Add your chocolate and butter to a heatproof mixing bowl. Bring a slightly smaller saucepan of water to a simmering boil then pop the heatproof bowl on top. Stir until the chocolate and butter has melted, then remove from the heat and stir in the salt.

Using a wooden spoon or spatula, slowly fold the melted chocolate into your whisked egg yolk mixture, a third of the chocolate at a time. Set aside.

Into a clean mixing bowl, add your egg whites and the remaining sugar. Use an electric whisk to beat them together until thick and glossy with stiff peaks forming. This is your meringue.

Take your electric whisk, with some of the meringue still attached, and without turning the power on, use it to give the melted chocolate egg mixture a quick stir to loosen the mixture slightly. Then, using a spatula, gently fold the meringue into the chocolate mixture, a third at a time. Be careful to keep as much air in as possible.

Pour half of the mix into the lined cake tin and smooth the top. Bake for 20–22 mins. The cake will rise up and be dry on top. Keep the other half of the batter to one side and cover with a tea towel or clingfilm to prevent it drying out. If possible, keep it near the oven so it stays warmish.

Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to fall and cool in the tin for approximately 20 minutes. It can still be warm, but you want to be able to handle the tin.

Sprinkle on the Sauternes-soaked raisins. Pour the second half of the batter on top and smooth with a warmed palette knife. Leave to cool to room temperature, then move into the fridge and leave overnight or up to 3 days.

To remove cleanly from the tin, freeze the cake for 30 minutes before demoulding. To finish, carefully remove from the tin and dust thickly with cocoa powder. If you froze the cake, let it defrost for 20–30 minutes before enjoying it. This keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also store it in the freezer, wrapped, for 30 days.