Ingredients:
For the chocolate base:
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg at room temperature
1/4 tsp. milk
3 tbsp. vegetable oil (corn or canola)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
20 cm diameter form
Filling:
3 bags of Earl Grey tea
250 ml of water for tea
25 pieces of prunes
280 g dark chocolate, bitter
1 whole cup and 1/4 cup cream
Fruits
Preparation:
Chocolate base:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a 20 cm diameter form with butter or vegetable oil, line with foil or parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, on low speed, mix flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to the flour mixture the egg, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and 1/4 cup of water, mix the batter on low speed.
The batter will be quite liquid. Pour the batter into the prepared form and place in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Check readiness with a skewer. Cool on a kitchen rack. The chocolate base can be prepared in advance, a day ahead.
Filling.
Make tea from 3 tea bags. Add prunes to the brew and let soak overnight. For the filling, in the morning drain the tea brew from the prunes, dry them a bit with paper towels. Place the chocolate in a large bowl in small pieces.
Heat the cream (1 1/4 cups) over low heat, but do not bring to a boil. Pour it over the chocolate pieces, stir well into a smooth shiny mass. Whip 1/2 cup of cream with a mixer. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate cream, mix.
Assembly.
Place the cake layer in a springform pan and pour the filling on top. Distribute the prunes, pressing them in a bit. Place in the refrigerator until it sets, this filling sets quite quickly, as it contains a lot of chocolate, and then you can remove the sides of the springform pan to make the edges smooth. You can dip a thin knife in hot water, wipe it, and run it between the cake and the edge. Serve with fruits or fruit sauce.
