nce in a blue moon I get a fancy for a slice of chocolate cake. And when I say chocolate cake, I do mean proper cake – not one of those affairs that is half cake, half mousse, with a runny middle. Of course you want your cake to be moist, and that is partly down to the recipe, but it is generally linked to cooking time as well.
I find that if you take the cake from the oven once the middle is somewhat firm, but still tacky to the touch, it should be perfect when it has cooled. Far better to bring your cake out of the oven a minute or two early rather than too late.
Chocolate cake always feels like a treat, but I made this one especially so. It gets its character not only from dark chocolate, soft brown sugar and ground almonds, but also from crushed amaretti biscuits that give a little crunch to the soft crumb. We ate it first as dessert with crème fraîche, then as a teatime cake with cups of steaming hōjicha tea and then, the following morning, for breakfast.
A second treat this week (I have been very, very good) was a salad of new potatoes that I sliced and sautéed until crisp then tossed, hot from the pan, into a vivid green and refreshingly piquant dressing of spinach, lemon and capers. Frying the potatoes first turned out to be a smashing idea.
Frankly, I think we all deserve a bit of a treat right now.

New potato and spinach salad

I enjoy serving these crisp, hot potatoes and their green dressing with a contrasting salad leaf. Use whatever leaves you have to hand. Serves 2-3
new potatoes 500g
groundnut or vegetable oil 3 tbsp
spinach leaves 50g
lemon 1
mint leaves 10g
garlic 1 small clove, peeled
olive oil 2 tbsp
capers 1 tsp
salad large open leaves, to serve
Scrub the potatoes then cook them in deep, salted boiling water for about 20 minutes. Check for doneness with the point of a metal skewer, then drain them in a colander.
Cut the potatoes into thick coins. Warm the groundnut or vegetable oil in a shallow pan, then add the potato slices in one layer and fry for 10 minutes or so until golden. Turn them over once the underside has turned a deep golden yellow.
Wash the spinach, then put the leaves into a blender or food processor. Finely grate the zest from the lemon and add to the spinach with the leaves from the mint, the peeled garlic and the olive oil. Blend until thick and smooth. Pour into a mixing bowl, add the capers and check the seasoning.
Remove the potatoes from the pan, drain briefly on kitchen paper, then add to the spinach dressing and toss gently. Place the salad leaves on serving plates, then divide the still-hot potatoes among them, and serve.

Chocolate apricot amaretti cake