An award-winning chocoholic’s fave flourless chocolate torte recipe

In case you need an excuse to indulge, Wednesday is World Chocolate Day.

Why does this annual celebration fall on July 7? It is said to be the date that marks the introduction of chocolate in Europe in 1550. The origins of this holiday may be a little murky but no-one can deny the universal love of chocolate.

Few people love it more than Katelyn Allegra, the author of Chocolate, a cookbook packed with recipes starring this delicious ingredient, and The Kate Tin, an award-winning baking blog.

Allegra shares some of the many reasons she adores chocolate, and one of her favourite recipes:

• My husband Antonino is a chocolate maker so someone has to be his tester.
• Everyone loves chocolate so when you bake with it, you’re guaranteed to please everyone.
• Good quality chocolate releases dopamine in your brain and makes you feel good. It is the perfect pick-me-up when I’m feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
• Chocolate has been a part of almost every important memory of my life — from my very first birthday cake (a chocolate house) to my wedding cake (a white chocolate and raspberry cake).
• Chocolate can be enjoyed in thousands of different ways depending on my mood — a quick mug of steaming hot chocolate, a bean to bar chocolate slab made with care or a more complex chocolate dessert created by a pastry chef.
• It takes 18 steps and a whole lot of care and love to make chocolate. From the farmers who grow the cocoa beans to the chocolate makers who craft the beans into chocolate, it’s quite miraculous that a virtually inedible bitter cocoa bean is transformed into a delicious treat.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE YOGHURT TORTE RECIPE

Allegra says: “This flourless chocolate torte is fudgier-than-fudge and super-moist thanks to thick double cream yoghurt. Add a generous drizzle of my homemade rum ’n raisin sauce for a grown-up touch and you can’t go wrong.”

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

200g salted butter, at room temperature

375g dark baking chocolate drops

100ml double cream yoghurt, plus extra for serving

30g cocoa powder, plus extra for serving

440g soft brown sugar

7 large eggs, at room temperature

Rum and raisin sauce:

60ml rum (can be substituted with hot water and 1 tsp rum essence)

45g raisins

240g light muscovado sugar

60ml water

30g salted butter

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C for fan-forced).
2. Grease and line a 20cm round metal cake tin.
3. Place the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat until melted and warm.
4. Remove from the heat and add the dark chocolate drops. Stir until melted.
5. Whisk in the yoghurt, cocoa powder, sugar and eggs.
6. Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 35 to 40 minutes — it should be barely set with a bit of a wobble in the middle.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely (it will fall and crack a little). Remove from the tin.
8. For the rum and raisin sauce, in a small bowl combine the rum (or water and essence) and raisins and allow them to soak for about 15 minutes. Stir the sugar and water together in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, then add the rum and raisins, along with the butter and simmer over a low heat for 2—3 minutes. Set aside.
9. Remove the torte from the tin and discard the baking paper. Serve the torte dusted with cocoa powder, a spoonful of yoghurt and drizzle with the rum ’n raisin sauce.