I've tried many a chocolate cake recipe in my time- whatever 'time' one gets from 16 years' living -but this one intrigued me in particular. All the way from Australia, it is, put crudely, a mixture of melted chocolate, cocoa powder, whipped eggs, whipped cream and -wait for it -curdled milk. (I'll leave it to someone else to devise the science behind that one.)
The first half an hour making it is spent melting, stirring, whipping and beating (you must try to ignore the gradual build-up of dirty utensils by the sink). Once all the components are prepared, you have the sensuous fun of combining them all into one bowl- gently folding in the fluffy meringue and delicate cream; watching the dark brown, pale yellow and white streaks mix into a light-cocoa shade. The batter is cooked gently and emerges from the oven as a towering souffle before sinking into deep, dark fudginess. This mousse-cake was described by a friend as '100% taste- no substance' and I'll add in agreement that, although light, it is decadently rich.
Here's a link to the recipe as posted on another fabulous food blog, Almost Bourdain, on which are further (arguably higher-quality) photos as well as a bit of background on Bourke Street Bakery, the creator of this cake.
