Easy, gooey chocolate mousse cake

Our most popular cake by far. This is a great recipe, gooey and intensely chocolatey. Preheat your oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3. Prepare a 23cm round non-stick springform cake tin by putting a layer of baking parchment on the bottom and then putting the bottom and sides together, cutting away excess parchment sticking out to about 1cm around the edge. The other option with these is to use a muffin tray and cases to make little mousse muffins, which are really quite lovely.

Put the margarine into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and add the sugar and salt. Stir until melted, then turn off the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until it too has melted. Take the bowl off the heat and leave to cool. Beat the eggs and ground almonds for about four minutes, until light and fluffy. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture and combine.

Pour into your prepared tin and sprinkle the almonds on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes – like brownies, you want the top crunchy but the centre dense and gooey.

Leave the cake in the tin for about 30 minutes before attempting to take it out, as it will be soft and inclined to crack otherwise. If you are making mousse muffins, the baking time will drop to about 25-30 minutes.

Recipe from The Happy Pear by David and Stephen Flynn