Ingredients

Spicy Chocolate Cakes

• 250g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids), broken into small pieces
• 150g butter
• 50g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 50g self raising flour
• 1 tsp ground star anise
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• pinch chilli powder

To Serve

• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbps icing sugar
• 300g vanilla ice-cream
• mint leaves

Method

1. To Melt Chocolate: Place 200g of chocolate and the butter in a heat proof bowl over boiling water. Stir the chocolate until it has melted.
2. Batter: Whisk the caster sugar and egg together until light. Sift in the flour, star anise, ginger and chili powder, into the egg mixture, and whisk until well combined. Fold the chocolate mixture in with the egg mixture with a stainless spoon and mix it gently until well combined. Beat the eggs in one at a time until well combined.
3. To Cook: Preheat an oven to 150C. Butter a 6 cup muffin pan and pour the batter into them so that it comes just one third of high. In the centre of each mixture distribute the remaining chocolate pieces. Pour over the remaining cake mixture so that it comes 2/3-3/4s high. Place the muffin tray in the oven and leave them to cook for 20-25 minutes, so that the cakes are firm and bounce back when pressed in the centre or insert a skewer into the centre of the cakes and it will comes out clear. Remove them from the oven and leave for a minute then turn them out on a cooling rack and serve warm.
4. To Serve: Place 1 chocolate cake on each plate. Dust them with a little cocoa powder and icing sugar, place a 2 scoops of good quality vanilla ice cream besides the cakes. Garnish the ice-cream with mint leaves and serve.