To use up the egg whites from your carbonara!

(It would have looked prettier if I’d baked it in an actual tin instead of a baking-paper parcel!)

Quick info

  • Servings: 6 small slices
  • Prep: 10 minutes
  • Baking: 40 minutes
  • Tools: bowls, electric whisk, spatula, sieve, 18 cm (7.1 in) cake tin, baking paper
  • Heads-up: whip the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks and fold them in gently, from the bottom up, so they don’t deflate

Ingredients

  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 90g (3.2 oz) sugar
  • 120g (4.2 oz) plain flour
  • ½ sachet of baking powder
  • 20g (0.7 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 175g (6.2 oz) plain natural yoghurt
  • 50g (1.8 oz) sunflower oil
  • (optional) a handful of chocolate chips or hazelnut flakes
  • icing sugar to decorate

Method

  1. Whip the egg whites. Put the 2 egg whites in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and beat with electric whisks until they hold stiff peaks.
  2. Prep the dry ingredients. In another bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder. Add the sugar and cocoa, then mix well.
  3. Add the wet ingredients. Pour in the sunflower oil and yoghurt. Mix with a spatula until smooth and creamy.
  4. Fold in the egg whites. Add the whipped egg whites a little at a time, folding from the bottom up to keep the batter airy. Add the chocolate chips now, if using.
  5. Bake. Pour the batter into an 18 cm (7.1 in) tin lined with baking paper. Bake in a preheated static oven at 180°C (356°F) for 40 minutes. Toothpick test: it should come out dry.
  6. Cool and serve. Let the cake cool in the tin, then turn it out onto a plate.

Notes

Keeps for 2–3 days under a cake dome or in an airtight container. You can swap the yoghurt for ricotta or mascarpone for a richer flavour.