Hot Chocolate Fudge Cake

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Grease a 20 cm/8-inch cake pan with butter, then line it with paper.

Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Step 3: Add all the wet ingredients except the boiling water to the bowl. Whisk until combined, then add the boiling water and whisk until smooth. The batter will be quite thin.

Step 4: Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out mostly clean. A faint smear of batter is fine for this fudge cake.

Step 5: Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert it onto a plate, then turn it right side up onto a cooling rack or plate. Cool for a further 10 minutes; the cake will still be warm for serving.

Step 6: Cut slices of the warm cake and top each with a scoop of ice cream. Pour over fudge sauce, using just under 1/4 cup per slice if serving 10 slices.

Step 7: Heat the cream in a saucepan or microwave until hot and just before boiling point.

Step 8: Put the chocolate in a bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Make sure all the chocolate is submerged, cover the bowl with a plate, and leave for 5 minutes.

Step 9: Using a whisk or rubber spatula, mix vigorously until the cream and chocolate combine into a silky sauce.

Step 10: Leave the sauce to cool and thicken for 20 minutes. Stir, then pour it into a jug for serving.