Yesterday’s Observer Food Magazine contained a lovely article about foodie men and their mothers, and got me thinking about my own early cooking experiences.

Like Hugh Fernley Whittingstall, the first food I made totally by myself were peppermint creams. I was about 8 years old when my after-school childminder, Joy, gave me my first taste of these simple but moreish treats. I liked them so much that I immediately got her to tell me how to make them, and did so, by myself, the very next day.

And of course, like Hugh, Gordon Ramsey and the rest, my mother was a huge influence. Long before she taught me how to make such basics as a roux sauce, spaghetti bolognese and from-scratch salad dressing, I sat and chatted with her while she cooked our evening meals, and must, just by watching, have absorbed a great deal without even realising it.

By about 10, I could make a decent sponge cake single-handed, and it was around this time that I was given my first cookbook, Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes. This magical book, illustrated by long-time Dahl collaborator Quentin Blake, includes such gems as Stink Bugs’ Eggs (from this blog’s namesake, James and the Giant Peach)…

…Butterscotch, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory…

…and, of course, Bruce Bogtrotter’s Cake, from perhaps my favourite Roald Dahl book, Matilda.

The funny thing is, I don’t think I ever cooked anything from this book as a child. Funnier still, I nonetheless absolutely loved it. Though the recipes were just a tad too hard for me at that time, that didn’t stop me from poring over the wonderful photos and illustrations, and I remember very clearly how I would often take it down from the cookbook shelf in the kitchen to read while I ate breakfast

While I was home at my mum’s this summer, I realised that this book is perhaps the biggest reason why I now love cookbooks as much as I do. I still enjoy flicking through a cookbook while I eat, and though I may not actually have made many recipes from some of my favourites, they are nonetheless, as the Amateur Gourmet says, among the first things I would grab if my house were on fire.

So, in memory of childhood cooking, cookbooks and Roald Dahl, I present to you the recipe for Bruce Bogtrotter’s Cake. I may not be able to cook it right now (good dairy products and chocolate being rather hard to find in China), but at least I can drool.

Bruce Bogtrotter’s Cake
Serves 1 to 8
From Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes

Cake:
8 oz (225g) good quality plain chocolate
6 oz (175g) unsalted butter
6 oz (175g) self raising flour
4 oz (125g) caster sugar
6 eggs, separated, yolks lightly beaten

Icing:
8 oz (225g) good–quality plain chocolate
8 oz (225g) double cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F, 180°c or gas mark 4.
2. Line a cake pan with baking paper and butter the bottom and sides of the paper.
3. Melt the chocolate in a Pyrex bowl set in a saucepan of simmering water or in a microwave on low heat. Mix in the butter and stir until melted.
4. Transfer to a large bowl and add the sugar, flour, and lightly beaten egg yolks.
5. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold half of the whites into the chocolate mixture, blending thoroughly, then fold in the remaining whites.
6. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 35 minutes. There will be a thin crust on top of the cake, and if tested with a toothpick the inside will appear undercooked (don't worry, the cake will get firmer as it cools). Remove from the oven, and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.
7. While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Melt the chocolate with the cream in a heavy–bottomed saucepan over lowest heat, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is fully melted and blended with the cream. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
8. When the cake is cool enough to handle, remove it from the pan and discard the wax paper. The cake is prone to sinking slightly in the middle, so flip it upside down before icing by placing a plate on top and carefully turning over the cake pan and plate together.
9. Carefully spread the chocolate icing all over the cake with a spatula. Allow the icing to cool and set slightly before serving.