Strawberry Filled Chocolate Torte

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease and line a 9 inch spring form pan. Set aside.

Separate the eggs while still cold. Place the egg yolks in the bowl of your electric mixer. Place the egg whites in a separate large bowl. Set aside and bring to room temperature for about 30 minutes

In a medium saucepan set over a simmering saucepan of water, add the chocolate and butter. Stir well until it has completely melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

In the bowl with your egg yolks, add 1/2 cup/100 grams of the sugar. Mix on high speed for about 3-5 minutes. The batter should be light in colour and about tripped in volume. Mix in the vanilla extract until combined. Pour in the chocolate mixture and mix on high speed until just combined. Set aside.

Using clean mixing beaters, mix on high speed the egg whites until foamy, about 1 minute. Add the vinegar and beat until soft peaks form, about another 1 -2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, another minute or so.

Fold a small amount of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten the batter. Add remaining egg whites and fold in until combined. Be careful not to over mix or you will deflate the batter. Evenly pour into prepared pan. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with some moist crumbs.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 30 minutes. Using a sharp knife, go around the rim of the pan to loosen the cake. Unclip the pan and remove sides.

Leave to completely cool.

In a clean bowl, add the whipped cream and beat on high until soft peaks form. Set aside about 8 strawberries for decorating the cake. Finely chop the remaining strawberries. Add chopped strawberries plus juices to the whipped cream. Gently fold in as to not deflate the whipped cream.

Fill the cooled cake with the strawberry mixture and evenly spread it out. Slice the remaining strawberries and place them around the rim of the cake. Sprinkle over chocolate shavings. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Cake will keep in the fridge for about 2 days.