KEY POINTS:
Makes one 20cm cake
1 cup prunes, roughly chopped
1 short black or 2 tsp instant espresso dissolved in 2 Tbs boiling water
200g butter
300g caster sugar
4 eggs
200g plain flour
1 cup ground almonds
100g dark chocolate
1 Tbs cream, plus extra to serve1 Preheat oven to 180C. Line a springform cake tin. Combine the prunes and coffee in a saucepan and simmer over a gentle heat for 5 minutes until soft and juicy. Cool.
2 Cream the butter and sugar until pale then add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
3 Fold through the flour, almonds and then the prunes. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
4 Break up the chocolate and put in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave for 5 minutes, then gently stir in the cream, adding a little more if necessary to produce a spreadable consistency. Using a spatula, spread the chocolate over the top of the cake before serving with softly whipped cream.