Donal Skehan Recipe: Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Mud Pie

This dark and fudgy chocolate cake is slightly unusual in that it doesn’t require flour to bind it and instead relies on ground almonds and eggs. This means it is gluten free and also results in a rich, moist finish. With a glossy chocolate glaze and a topping of toasted hazelnuts this cake is true showstopper. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4 and line a 20cm diameter spring-form tin with baking parchment. For the mud pie, melt the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl sitting over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Remove the bowl from the heat and mix in the sugar, vanilla extract and ground almonds with a spatula.

Stir through the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing after each addition, until you have a thick batter. Put the egg whites in a standing food mixer (or use an electric hand-held mixer in a bowl) and whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add the egg whites to the chocolate batter and fold through gently until just combined.

Pour the chocolate batter into the prepared cake tin and place in the oven to bake for about 35 minutes until it is firm but with a slight wobble. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to sit on a wire rack to cool in its tin, before removing the tin to cool completely.

For the chocolate glaze

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl sat over a pan of just simmering water. When melted, remove from the heat, whisk in the icing sugar and the cream.

Allow to cool until the mixture becomes thick enough to leave a figure of eight on the surface. Pour over the chocolate mud pie and sprinkle with hazelnuts. Leave to set before slicing and serving.