All of our sauces in Blairs Inn have been gluten free for many years now and you wouldn't know the difference. However I find it's more difficult when it comes to producing top quality gluten free cakes to suit everybody. This Chocolate Gateau is one of those recipes which will please both coeliacs and non coeliacs alike. It's absolutely delicious and quite easy to make. Anyway if you stuff it up the first few times you'll be at least left with a chocolatey mess, and that always tastes good. Just persist with it and you'll be fine. And if any of you have any other delicious gluten free recipes that appeal to all, please send them on.

Blairs Gluten Free Chocolate Gateau

Ingredients

200g quality plain chocolate, Valrhona is our favourite
75ml milk
175g very soft butter
175g golden caster sugar
175g ground almonds
50g gluten free flour (we use tritamyl flour) 5 eggs seperated
2 lb loaf tin
icing 200g plain chocolate
4 tablespoons milk
40g soft butter
175g icing sugar

Grease and line a 2llb loaf tin with melted butter and gluten free flour. You could also use a 9 inch round cake tin.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl as indicated below.
A note about melting chocolate: Melting chocolate is a delicate proceedure and if not done right it becomes grainy and lumpy. However that doesn't mean it needs to be difficult. All you do is bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Take it off the boil. Then place a pyrex or metal bowl snugly over it. It's important the base is not touching the water. Simply place the chocolate in the bowl and leave for ten minutes. It's melted ... easy!

Heat the milk to lukewarm and add to the melted chocolate. Stir until smooth.

Cream the butter in a seperate mixing bowl. Then add the sugar and ground almonds, beating until light and fluffy. Now beat in the egg yolks one by one. Add the melted chocolate and sieved flour and stir until well combined.

In another bowl (we're making some mess here) whisk the egg whites. It's vital that the container is spotless or else the eggs won't whisk properly. A metal bowl is best, but a pyrex bowl is fine. Anyway whisk the egg whites until they are forming stiff peaks. Transfer a quarter of the whisked egg whites to the chocolate mixture and fold in. Then fold in the remainder of the egg white.

Turn the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface with a spatula. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C, Gas Mark 4 for 30 minutes, or until surface feels just soft to the touch.

Leave to cool before turning out on to a wire rack. Now it's time to make the icing. Melt the chocolate. Melt the butter and add to the melted chocolate. Beat in the icing sugar until smooth.

Hope you've been cleaning as you go, otherwise your kitchen looks like it's been hit with a chocolate bomb. Nearly there now.

Now cut the chocolate sponge into two layers. Spread icing on one layer. Then place the other layer on top. Now apply the remainder of the icing until the cake is covered. Allow to set.

Garnish with a few mint leaves, strawberries and chocolate flakes. Serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream ... delicious!

Good luck and let me know how it goes.