To finish your meal try this take on coffee and dessert, and if you have any coffee liqueur in the back of the drinks cabinet, put a splash in the syrup

• Preparation and cooking time
  • Prep:15 mins
  • Cook:10 mins
• Easy
• Serves 4

• Freezable (uncooked cakes only)

Ingredients

• 50g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for the tin
• 2 tsp espresso powder, dissolved in 2 tsp hot water, plus extra for the tin
• 100g chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into squares
• 45g Bournville bar, broken into squares
• 50g golden caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp
• 1 large egg, separated
• seeds from ½ a vanilla pod, or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp plain flour, sifted
• 4 tbsp golden syrup
• coffee or vanilla ice cream, to serve

Method

• STEP 1

  Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter four wells of a muffin tin, and sprinkle some espresso powder into each.

• STEP 2

  In a pan, gently melt half of each of the chocolates with the butter until smooth. Stir in 50g sugar, then take off the heat and cool for a few mins. Stir in the coffee, egg yolk, vanilla and flour until even.

• STEP 3

  Beat the egg whites with electric beaters or a balloon whisk until foamy and thickened. Add 1 tbsp sugar and whisk until it forms shiny soft peaks. Take care not to overwhisk – softer is better if you’re not sure.

• STEP 4

  Stir about 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate batter to loosen, then carefully fold in the rest of the whites using a large metal spoon or a spatula.

• STEP 5

  Spoon into the prepared tin, then bake for 10-12 mins or until the cakes are just starting to dome in the middle. Cool the cakes in the tin for 15 mins. In a small pan, melt the remaining chocolates and golden syrup together with 3 tbsp hot water, and whisk until silky smooth. Turn out the cakes and serve warm in a puddle of the syrup and topped with ice cream.