Spiced Dark Chocolate and Roasted Pecan Cake

Grease a 24cm spring form cake tin and fully line with baking paper.

Preheat the oven to 160ºC fan bake

Place the pecans and the spices in a food processor and chop finely but leaving them with a little texture.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Don’t let the base of the bowl touch the water. Set aside to cool.

Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in one large bowl and the whites in another large bowl.

Beat the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until very light and pale.

Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Using a large metal spoon, fold the cooled chocolate, pecans and the orange zest into the egg yolks until no dark streaks remain. Gently but thoroughly fold in the egg whites.

Pour into the tin and bake for 30 minutes or until a crust forms and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, but not uncooked mixture.

For the apricots or other stone fruit, halve and remove the stone.

Place cut side up on a baking tray and place a little honey in each cavity. Grill until lightly golden and tender. Cool to serve.

Cool completely before removing the cake from the tin. Dust with icing sugar and serve with softly whipped cream and honey grilled apricots. Makes 1 cake