Chocolate chilli cake

I said I'd probably put some recipes on here, and here's the first one from a food blog called Chocolate & Zucchini. I'm helping to organise a Mexican Fiesta Party as a social for the rowing club. Actually, I've done most of the organising so far. Anyway, I wanted to do something a bit different for pudding, remembered having some chilli chocolate sometime, and did a Google search for chocolate chilli cake knowing that there's everything on the internet and sure enough up came a few recipes. This one appealed. I've made it twice now - once yesterday with cocoa powder instead of chocolate and quite mild chilli powder (ok, but not greatand there wasn't much of a kick from the chilli at all), and once today with scrummy organic chocolate and hotter chilli powder. It's actually really nice - a little bit gooey in the middle, you taste the chocolate and then your mouth starts to feel warm from the chilli! Here's the recipe...

Chocolate Chilli Cake

200g butter (I've been using normal butter, but apparently unsalted is better)
200g good-quality dark chocolate
250g sugar
5 eggs (at room temperature)
1 rounded tbsp self-raising flour
2 tsp chilli powder (quite strong chilli otherwise you won't taste it, and you can add a bit more)

I just used a greased loaf tin, or baking tray, but you could also do it in bun tins to make mini 'bites' as on Chocolate & Zucchini.

Pre-heat the oven to 200°c (400°F) or, if you're lucky enough to have a lovely Aga where you are (like I am at my mum and dad's house), just use the bottom of the top oven.

Melt the butter and the chocolate in a small pan over a low heat. Transfer into a mixing bowl, add the sugar, mix well with a wooden spoon and allow to cool a little bit. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well with the spoon after each addition. Add the self-raising flour and chilli powder and mix well.

Pour the mixture into whichever cakey tin you're using and put into the oven to bake for about ten minutes (you need to keep an eye on it though). The top should look cooked - there should be some spring-back - but not so well done that it's totally dried out! The inside should still be soft.

Turn out onto a rack to cool (unless in a baking tray - cut into pieces after it's cooled for a little bit and put the pieces on the rack)...

Chocolate & Zucchini lady says to refrigerate in a plastic container and take out an hour before serving, but nothing ever lasts that long in this house. I'll do that for the party though. I forgot to take a photo before we ate half of it, so I'll have to try and remember photograph the ones from the social... I also think I might serve the cake hot with creme fraiche or something like that.