Rich chocolate tort

375g (13oz) ready-made shortcrust pastry
150g (5oz) bar dark chocolate, broken into pieces
2 egg whites
100g (31/2oz) golden caster sugar
1 x 142ml (1/4pt) carton double cream
2tbsp brandy or Tia Maria
Cocoa powder to dust and berries to serve (optional)

This torte tastes just as delicious if you replace the dark chocolate with white chocolate

In short	Preparation time: 25 mins Cooking time: 25 mins Total time: 50 mins Serves: 8 people Course: Desserts
Nutrition (per portion)	455 calories 28g fat (13g saturates)

Method

1 Preheat oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5. Roll out pastry and line a 23cm (9in) flan tin. Trim excess and line pastry case with greaseproof paper. Fill with baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove beans and paper and bake for 7-10 minutes until crisp. Cool.

2 Melt chocolate in a microwave on medium for 2 minutes. Put egg whites and sugar in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk for 5 minutes until thick and glossy. Take off heat and whisk for another couple of minutes to cool.

3 Whisk cream until it just holds its shape. Fold chocolate and cream into egg mixture, and then add brandy or Tia Maria. Pour into pastry case and smooth top. Chill for about 20 minutes, until set. To serve, dust with cocoa powder and garnish with berries if desired.

Photographs Peter Cassidy; food styling and recipes Sunil Vijayakar; prop styling Helen Trent