200g good-quality dark chocolate

1 tablespoon double-strength espresso coffee, hot

200g butter, softened

200g sugar

5 eggs

 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F/ gas mark 4.  Grease and flour a 25cm /10' sandwich tin.

Break the chocolate into small pieces and put them in a mixing bowl,  then set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water.  Pour the hot coffee onto the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted.  Add the buttter and let it melt into the chocolate.

Add the sugar and stir well, then break the eggs into the mixture one at a time, stirring well after each addition.  Finally mix in the flour.

Pour the mixture into the sandwich tin and bake for 20-25 minutes.  The cake should be still very moist in the centre.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before turning out.  Wrap the cake in foil and try to resist eating it for at least a day.  It will taste so much better.