I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who doesn’t like chocolate cake. This is one of my favourite chocolate cake recipes, a light sour cream cake from Margaret Fulton.

What you need:

• 1 cup boiling water
• 125g dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 250g butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 1/2 cups plain flour
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2/3 cup sour cream

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Butter two 20cm ring tins.
2. Put the boiling water, chocolate and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl and stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Leave to cool.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in the vanilla, then add the chocolate mixture a little as a time.
4. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder and fold in alternately with the sour cream, mixing lightly until just combined.
5. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into the mixture with  large metal spoon. Spoon gently into the prepared tines and bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Leave in the tins for a few minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.