Wicked Chocolate Cake

Method for sponge
1. Pre-heat the oven to 170°C.
2. Melt the butter over a low heat and then put it aside off the heat.
3. Grease a 19cm (7.5 inch) cake tin with some melted butter, and line the bottom of the tin with buttered greaseproof paper, then dust lightly with flour.
4. Whisk the eggs with the sugar in a large bowl until the mixture is pale and thick – the mixture should leave a trail when you lift with the whisk – (this is called the ‘ribbon stage’) and takes 5 to 10 minutes if using an electric whisk.
5. Sieve the cocoa powder and the flour over the egg mixture and gently fold it in using a large metal spoon.
6. Add the cooled and melted butter and fold this in gently as well.
7. Pour the mixture into the greased and lined cake tin and bake in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes (check at 25 minutes – the sponge is cooked if a knife inserted into it comes out clean).
8. When the sponge is cooked, remove the cake tin from the oven and leave the sponge to cool in the tin.
9. When the sponge has cooled completely, carefully remove it from the cake tin and put onto a plate covered in clean greaseproof paper or onto a cake board.

Ingredients
4 eggs
120g caster sugar
80g plain flour
30g unsalted butter
30g cocoa powder (sieved)

Method
1. While the sponge is baking in the oven prepare the soaking syrup by combining the water, sugar and alcohol in a saucepan; bring it to the boil, then switch off the fire and leave the syrup to cool.
2. After the sponges have cooled down and been removed from the cake tins, spoon the cooled soaking syrup onto both the sponges, and leave to cool further in a fridge while preparing the filling and icing.

Ingredients
100mls water
100g sugar
30mls brandy, cointreau or kirsch (optional)

Method for chocolate ganache
1. Heat the cream in a saucepan until it starts bubbling at the edges, then take the pan off the heat and add the dark and milk chocolate to it; stir until it has all blended in well and pour into a bowl to cool it down to room temperature (not in a fridge).
2. When the cream and chocolate mixture have cooled down to room temperature, whisk it until the mixture becomes paler in colour, light and fluffy.
3. Spread this chocolate mousse like mixture onto one of the sponges and place it in a fridge to cool down for a minimum of 10 minutes. (Put the sponge onto a cake board or onto the bottom of a cake tin to make it easier to decorate and move until it is finally ready).

Ingredients
150 ml whipping cream
100g good quality milk chocolate
50g good quality dark chocolate

Preparation of Chantilly cream
1. Whisk the double cream, icing sugar and vanilla until it reaches the soft peak stage – it should be light and fluffy but still hold it’s shape; be very careful to not over whisk; the cream might then become grainy in appearance and can even separate out if over whisked. When whisking the cream, as soon as it starts to thicken whisk on a low speed and stop whisking as soon as the cream has reached the desired consistency.
2. Spread half of the Chantilly cream onto the chocolate mousse covered sponge, cover it carefully with the other sponge and leave to set in a fridge for another 30 minutes.
3. Keep the remaining half of the Chantilly cream to decorate the cake.

Ingredients
150ml double cream
15g (1 heaped teaspoon) icing sugar
¼ teaspoon pure vanilla essence

Preparation of glacage
1. Warm the cream in a saucepan over a gentle heat, then take it off the heat and add the chocolate; stir until it is all well combined.
2. Then add the butter (while the cream and chocolate are still warm) and mix well.
3. While the mixture is still tepid pour it over the cake so that you end up with an even surface, and then return the cake to the fridge to cool down for at least 10 minutes before decorating with the Chantilly cream.

Ingredients
150 ml whipping cream
100g good quality milk chocolate
50g good quality dark chocolate
50g unsalted butter at room temperature