One bowl chocolate fudge

for the cake

100 grams plain flour/hazelnut flour
90 grams caster sugar
15 grams best-quality cocoa powder
1 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
35ml sour cream/curd
¼ tablespoon vanilla extract
75ml corn oil
75ml chilled water

for the fudge icing

45grams dark chocolate(minimum 70% cocoa solids)/Nutella
65 grams unsalted butter (softened)
70 grams icing sugar (sifted, necessarily)
¼ tablespoon vanilla extract

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
Butter and line the bottom of a 20cm/8 inch sandwich tin.
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
In another bowl or wide-necked measuring jug whisk together all the liquid ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tin. The batter will be very liquidy. That's what will make the cake moist.
Bake the cake for 30-40 minutes, or until a cake-tester comes out clean. Cool the cake in its tin on a wire rack for 25 minutes, and then turn the cake out onto the rack to cool completely. Then transfer on to a serving plate.

Icing:
To make the icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave - 1 minute on medium should do it - or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, and let cool slightly.

In another bowl beat the butter until it's soft and creamy and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything's light and fluffy. Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth. Ice the top and sides too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.
Decorate with chocolate chips or hazelnuts.

To serve, boil water in a pan and dip the knife in it, once hot, take the knife out and wipe it with a clean spare cloth and cut a slice and then dip the knife in the water again and repeat.

To refrigerate, always seal the cake from all sides and when taking out of the fridge, make sure you leave it covered at room temperature for atleast half an hour.

Nutella Cake with Chocolate Hazelnut Ganache

Cake:
6 large eggs, separated
pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 13-ounce container Nutellla
1 tablespoon rum
1/2 cup finely ground hazelnuts
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and
cooled

Ganache:
4 ounces whole hazelnuts
1/2 cup half and half (she calls for heavy cream but I was out, half and half worked well)
1 tablespoon rum
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; butter a 9-inch springform pan. In a large bowl (preferably metal),
whisk the egg whites and salt until stiff. In another bowl, cream the butter and Nutella, then add
the rum, egg yolks, and ground hazelnuts. Fold in melted chocolate.

Add a blob of beaten egg whites to the chocolate batter, and mix gently until well-combined. Fold in the remaining whites, one-third at a time, very gently but thoroughly. Pour into springform and bake for 40 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting tester, which should come out mostly clean; lightly pressing finger into top to check for a slight bouncing-back; and observing edges beginning to separate from pan. Let cool completely, in pan, on a rack.

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet, or toaster oven shaking them around frequently. Do it for about 4 minutes, or until they are lightly browned, then let cool completely. If hazelnuts came with skins on, put them in a towel after toasting and rub around; this will remove most of the skins.

Chop chocolate, and add to sauce pan with half and half and rum over medium-low heat. Once chocolate is melted and components are combined, whisk until mixture reaches desired thickness, then cool. Remove rim of cake pan and pour cooled ganache over, spreading lightly to create a smooth, shiny surface, and apply hazelnuts all over.

Ultimate chocolate cake

Ingredients

• 200g good quality dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids
• 200g butter
• 1 tbsp instant coffee granules
• 85g self-raising flour
• 85g plain flour
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200g light muscovado sugar
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 25g cocoa powder
• 3 medium eggs
• 75ml buttermilk (5 tbsp)
• grated chocolate or curls, to decorate

For the ganache

• 200g good quality dark chocolate, as above
• 284ml carton double cream (pouring type)
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar

Method

1. Butter a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep) and line the base. Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/ gas 3. Break 200g good quality dark chocolate in pieces into a medium, heavy-based pan. Cut 200g butter into pieces and tip in with the chocolate, then mix 1 tbsp instant coffee granules into 125ml cold water and pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted – don’t overheat. Or melt in the microwave on Medium for about 5 minutes, stirring half way through.
2. While the chocolate is melting, mix 85g self-raising flour, 85g plain flour, ¼ bicarbonate of soda, 200g light muscovado sugar, 200g golden caster sugar and 25g cocoa powder in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps. Beat 3 medium eggs in a bowl and stir in 75ml (5 tbsp) buttermilk.
3. Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency. Pour this into the tin and bake for 1 hour 25- 1 hour 30 minutes – if you push a skewer in the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don’t worry if it cracks a bit). Leave to cool in the tin (don’t worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
4. When the cake is cold, cut it horizontally into three. Make the ganache: chop 200g good quality dark chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl. Pour a 284ml carton of double cream into a pan, add 2 tbsp golden caster sugar, and heat until it is about to boil. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
5. Sandwich the layers together with just a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smoothing to cover with a palette knife. Decorate with grated chocolate or a pile of chocolate curls. The cake keeps moist and gooey for 3-4 days.

Fastest Fudge Cake

• 4-1/2 oz. (1 cup) all-purpose flour
• 1 oz. (1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutchprocessed)
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. table salt
• 4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and warm
• 1-1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 cup warm Ganache 

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 350 F. Grease the bottom of an 8x2- or 9x2-inch round cake pan or line it with parchment.
In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift only if the cocoa remains lumpy after whisking. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add the eggs and vanilla; stir until well blended. Add the flour mixture all at once and stir just until all the flour is moistened. Pour the hot water over the batter; stir just until it’s incorporated and the batter is smooth. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes for a 9-inch pan; 35 to 40 min. for an 8-inch pan. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 min. Run a thin knife around the edge and invert the cake (peel off the parchment if necessary). Invert it again onto the rack and let cool completely.
Once cool, set the rack over a baking sheet or foil. Pour the warm ganache over the cake and use an icing spatula to spread it over the top of the cake and down the sides. Let set for about an hour before serving

Chocolate Walnut Tweed Torte

• 1 cup (3.5 oz.) walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. (4.375 oz.) sugar
• 9 oz. bittersweet chocolate (70% to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
• Finely grated zest of 1 medium orange (optional)
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 cup egg whites (from 7 to 8 large eggs)
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
• Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
Pulse the walnuts with 1 Tbs. of the sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Scrape the nuts into another bowl. Use a paper towel to wipe excess oil from the sides of the processor bowl, add the chocolate with 1 Tbs. sugar, and pulse until it forms crumbs ranging in size from coarse meal to 1/4-inch bits. Add the chocolate to the nuts, along with the orange zest, if using, and salt, and stir to combine. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar in a large clean, dry bowl at medium speed until the egg whites are creamy white and soft peaks are formed when the beaters are lifted. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating at medium-high speed until the egg whites are glossy and stiff but not dry.
Pour half of the chocolate mixture over the egg whites and fold in with a large rubber spatula until nearly incorporated. Repeat with the remaining chocolate mixture, folding just until evenly incorporated.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the torte is puffed and golden brown on top and springs back when gently pressed with your fingers; a toothpick inserted in the center should come out moist and possibly stained with melted chocolate, but not coated with raw batter. Set the pan on a rack to cool. Slide a thin knife or a small metal spatula around the sides of the torte to release it from the pan. Remove the pan sides and transfer the cake to a serving platter.
Serve slices with a dollop of whipped cream.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze

For the cake:

• 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (2-1/4 cups)
• 6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into six pieces; more for the pan
• 5 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. table salt
• 3/4 oz. (1/4 cup) unsweetened natural cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy; more for the pan

For the glaze:

• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)
• 1-1/2 oz. (3 Tbs.) unsalted butter

Make the cake:

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 300°F. Lightly butter the bottom of a 9x2-inch round cake pan and line it with a round of parchment. Lightly butter the parchment and the sides of the pan and dust with cocoa powder. Tap out any excess.
Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave or in a medium metal bowl set in a skillet of barely simmering water, stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth. Remove the bowl from the water bath and set aside to cool slightly. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and 2 Tbs. water. Beat on mediumhigh speed until the mixture is very foamy, pale in color, and doubled in volume, 2 min. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually pour in the chocolate mixture. Increase the speed to medium high and continue beating until well blended, about 30 seconds. Add the cocoa powder and mix on medium low just until blended, about 30 seconds.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a pick inserted in the center comes out looking wet with small gooey clumps, 40 to 45 min. Don’t overcook. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 30 min. If necessary, gently push the edges down with your fingertips until the layer is even. Run a small knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Cover the cake pan with a wire rack and invert. Remove the pan and parchment and let the cake cool completely. The cake may look cinched in around its sides, which is fine. Transfer to a cake plate. Cover and refrigerate the cake until it’s very cold, at least 6 hours or overnight.

Glaze the cake:

Tip:

To slice this cake (or any dense, sticky cake), heat the knife first, either by dipping it in a tall container of very hot water or by holding it under hot running water for a few seconds. Then wipe it dry before cutting the cake. The knife will cool quickly, and the cake will start sticking, so expect to rinse and repeat several times. A crème brûlée torch, if you have one, is also handy for heating up a knife.

Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave or in a medium metal bowl set in a skillet of barely simmering water, stirring with a rubber spatula until smooth. Pour the warm glaze over the chilled cake and, using an offset spatula, spread the glaze evenly to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Refrigerate the cake until the glaze is set, 20 to 40 min. Before serving, remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature, 20 to 30 min. To serve, cut the cake into small, if not tiny, slices using a hot knife.

Orange and Hazelnut Cake with Orange Flower Syrup

For the syrup

• 1-1/4 cups superfine sugar
• 2-1/2 Tbs. orange juice
• 2-1/2 Tbs. orange flower water
• Grated zest of 1 orange

For the cake

• 5 large eggs, separated
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 2-1/4 cups hazelnut flour or meal

To serve

• 1-1/3 cups Greek-style yogurt
• 2 Tbs. confectioners' sugar
• Pulp of 4 passion fruits

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Make the syrup:

In a saucepan, bring 2/3 cup water to a boil. Add the sugar and orange juice and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and syrupy. Remove from the heat and let cool. Stir in the orange flower water and orange zest.

Make the cake:

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and pale. Fold the hazelnut flour into the yolk mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff and glossy, then gently fold them into the hazelnut mixture.
Grease the loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Pour in the batter. Bake for about 30 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove the cake from the oven and evenly pour the cooled orange syrup over the top.

To serve:

Combine the yogurt, confectioners' sugar and passion fruit pulp in a bowl. Serve generously with the warm cake.

Mary Berry's chocolate fudge cake

Ingredients
For the divine chocolate birthday cake:

    6 large eggs, 5 of them separated
    215g (7½oz) caster sugar
    265g (9½oz) plain chocolate (39 per cent cocoa solids)
    1 level tsp instant coffee granules
    1tsp hot water
    150g (5oz) ground almonds

For the chocolate icing:

    4tbsp apricot jam
    225g (8oz) plain chocolate (39 per cent cocoa solids)
    100g (4 z) unsalted butter

    This is a very close-textured ‘fudgy’ cake that needs no filling. There is no flour in this recipe; ground almonds give the flavour and texture. Decorate the cake with crystallized flowers and candles, if you like.

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Method

    Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5. Grease a 23 cm (9 in) deep round cake tin then line the base with baking parchment.
    Place the egg yolks and whole egg in a large bowl with the sugar and beat together until thick and light in colour. Melt the chocolate gently in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Dissolve the coffee granules in the water and add to the melted chocolate. Cool slightly, then stir into the egg mixture along with the ground almonds.
    In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Carefully fold into the egg and chocolate mixture. Turn into the prepared tin and gently level the surface.
    Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 50 minutes or until well risen, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.
    Measure the apricot jam into a small saucepan and allow to melt over a low heat. Brush over the cake. To make the icing, melt the chocolate gently in a bowl set over a pan of hot water, stirring occasionally. Add the butter and stir until the icing has the consistency of thick pouring cream, cooling if necessary.
    Stand the wire rack on a baking tray to catch any drips, then pour the icing over the cake smoothing it over the top and sides with a palette knife. Allow to set, then decorate if you like.

Orange Flower Water Cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour, plus some for flouring the pan
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
• 1 cup packed light brown or granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon orange flower water or vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• Butter for greasing the pan
• confectioners sugar for dusting

Citrus Glaze:

• Scant 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 176 c

2. Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan.

3. Sift together 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 3/8 teaspoon salt. Beat 2 large eggs with 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest and 1 cup packed light brown or granulated sugar until light and frothy.

4. Whisk in the flour mixture until almost incorporated, then whisk in 1/2 cup buttermilk mixed with 1 teaspoon orange flower water or vanilla extract and 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted.

5. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.

6. Cool the cake on a rack 5 minutes, then invert to cool completely. Transfer to a platter and sift confectioners sugar over the top.

Or, to glaze and soak the cake, cool the cake in the pan 5 minutes while you make the citrus glaze.

Citrus Glaze

1. Combine a scant 1/4 cup orange juice and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar in a saucepan.

2. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Invert the cake onto a cooling rack; with a toothpick, poke holes into the top of the cake.

3. Spoon the glaze over the cake, letting it soak in before adding more.

Chocolate orange cake

Chocolate and Orange Cake

Ingredients:

135 gms. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
60 gms. cocoa
135 gms. brown sugar (I used demerara)
150 gms. butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp. orange marmalade
Juice of 1 orange, freshly squeezed
100 gms. good quality dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup cream

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy.Add the eggs and beat again until smooth and frothy.Add the marmalade and beat again, very briefly, just to combine.Sieve in the flour, baking powder, and cocoa. Fold in light movements.Add the orange juice to adjust the consistency. The batter should be thick but easy to pour.Pour into a greased and lined baking tin of choice. (I used an 8-inch round, loose-bottomed tin) and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees centigrade for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.Invert the cake onto a serving dish and leave to cool.Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a microwave or on a double boiler. Add the cream and mix to obtain a smooth and glossy ganache.

Madeleines

Makes 30

INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs
2/3 cup (130 g) sugar (110 gm)
1 1/2 (7.5 ml) tsp orange zest OR 1 tsp lemon peel cut into small pieces and 3 tsp orange flower water
1 cup (120 g) flour
1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) salt
6 tbsp (60 ml) melted butter (I used oil)
1 tbsp (7 g) powdered sugar

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350F/(176C).

Beat eggs with sugar until pale yellow. Add zest.

Whisk together dry ingredients add to the egg mixture gently, until just combined. Then add melted butter.

Refrigerate the batter at least 1 hour! Or overnight. This is really critical for getting the “hump” of a Madeleine, the traditional mark of this classic French cookie.

Lightly coat a non-stick, Madeleine pan with baking spray using this technique. Spray the baking spray into a small bowl and with a pastry brush lightly grease each well. Dust with a flour-icing sugar mix. This is crucial, helps the Madeleines pop out of the pan. 

Spoon 1 tbsp (15 ml) of batter into the center of the well and don’t touch it. It will spread out by itself and keep a more uniform shape that way.

Bake 7-8 mins until slightly golden around edges and centers look set and slight hump has appeared. Allow to cool slightly and remove from the tin and allow to cool.

Once cooled completely and dust with powdered sugar and serve!

Batter can be made 2 days ahead of time.

Firms up after a day, tastes best fresh out of the oven or after a day or two. 

Hazelnut and strawberry Gâteau Breton

YIELD: Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups vanilla sugar , divided ( or sugar and 2 tsp vanilla)
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted, husked
• 6 large egg yolks (preferably organic)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, melted ( or 3/4 tsp salt for unsalted butter)
• 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 large egg yolk beaten with 2 teaspoons water (for glaze)
• Whole strawberries with stems attached or warm strawberry jam

Preparation

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Butter and flour 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Combine 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar and hazelnuts in processor; blend until nuts are finely ground but not pasty. Combine 6 egg yolks and remaining 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vanilla sugar in large bowl; whisk until well blended and slightly thicker, about 2 minutes (do not use electric mixer). Whisk in hazelnut mixture. Gradually whisk in melted butter. Sift flour over batter; stir just until blended (batter will be thick; do not overmix or cake may be tough).
Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top with offset spatula (layer will be thin). Brush top generously with egg glaze. Using back of tines of fork, deeply mark crisscross pattern atop cake, marking 3 times across in 1 direction and 3 times in opposite direction. Bake cake until deep golden on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes, then remove pan sides and cool cake completely. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in foil and store at room temperature.
Cut cake into wedges and serve with whole strawberries or with warm strawberry jam.

Chocolate-date-hazelnut Gâteau Breton

For the filling:
     100 g chopped dates
     140 ml water
     1 tbsp dark brown soft sugar
     25 grams butter
     20 g plain chocolate, broken into small pieces

Half cup ground hazelnut 
For the gateau:
     225 g salted butter, softened and cut into pieces
     280 g golden caster sugar
     300 g plain flour, sieved
         5 egg yolks
     1 egg white

First, make the filling. Put the dates, water, and sugar in a saucepan and heat gently with plenty of stirring until the mixture starts to look like a paste (a spoon dragged through it should leave a clear trail on the bottom of the pan). Take off the heat and stir in the butter and chocolate. Keep stirring until both have dissolved. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Thoroughly grease a 20 cm/8 inch cake tin (it needs to be about 5 cm deep). If you happen to have a mixer with a paddle attachment standing round doing nothing then it will make the following gateau-beating process a lot easier.

Cream the butter and sugar thoroughly. Lightly beat the egg yolks, remove a scant tablespoonful and set this aside for glazing the top of the gateau. Add half of the remaining egg yolks to the butter and sugar and beat in, then do the same with the other half of the yolks. Finally add the flour and beat in until everything looks nice and smooth.

Put half of the mixture into the prepared tin and spread it out as flat as reasonably possible – a combination of a palette knife and fingers works best for me. Spread the filling over the mixture evenly but avoid going right up to the edges. Cover with the other half of the mixture making the top as flat and smooth as possible. Lightly beat the egg white and paint over the top of the gateau – you probably won't need it all. Now paint with the reserved egg yolk – add a tiny amount of water if the yolk is too thick to spread. At this point, it's traditional to mark the top of the gateau with a pattern using the tines of a fork.

Bake for 40 – 45 minutes – the top should be a deep golden brown. Allow to cool a fair bit before removing carefully from the tin. Quite small slices are probably the order of the day – this is pretty rich.

2 bases of 150-150 gram each

So, to make your base, start with 250g of strong white flour, best of all the Italian Tipo 00 variety sold specially for pizza dough.

Mix it with 160ml of water, about 20ml of olive oil (Italian again!) and add 5g of fast-acting yeast and 5g of salt. Blend it all together and then knead it for five minutes.

The best food takes time – another inconvenient but vital detail – so try to leave the dough in a bowl to rise from morning to evening before you plan to use it. When you do, take the wonderful, risen cloud of dough and split it into 120g-150g balls. Again, if you’ve got time, you can leave them for up to three hours in a plastic bag to rise.

Next comes the show-stopping bit. Spread them out, first with your fingers and then with a rolling pin, into 6in or 7in circles until they are the same thickness all over. Now you’re going to throw them in the air, spinning them as they go to make sure the weight works its way out of the centre to the edges. Catch them not on your fingers – they’ll go through – but on your knuckles. You want the dough to be thinner in the middle and thicker on the edges.

Dust your pizza peel – the long-handled disc used for inserting and removing pizzas from the oven, which you can get easily online – with a 50-50 mix of semolina and flour. Semolina is grittier, makes the pizza slide better and adds an extra crispness.

Now add the topping.

If I’m doing this at home, I go for tomato passata, some olives and buffalo mozzarella. I also like to add a little bit of pouring cream, which blends very well with the mozzarella. Then sprinkle lightly with some dried oregano.

If you are using a wood-fired oven, two or three minutes should be enough. I like my pizzas slightly darker, with a crispier bite, but it’s down to individual taste.

If you are using a conventional oven – most of us probably aren’t yet quite up to depending on an outdoor oven like my beehives in Cyprus – put the dial up to maximum and make sure that it is fully heated before you start. That can take up to 15-20 minutes, so make sure you get the preparations right, or you’ll end up with a soggy bottom that tastes more like a cracker than a pizza.