Cakes and Gateaux Recipes - Best-ever Chocolate Sandwich

Ingredients

• 115g plain flour

• 50g cocoa powder

• 5ml baking powder

• pinch of salt

• 6 eggs

• 225g caster sugar

• 10ml vanilla essence

• 115g unsalted butter, melted

• 225g plain chocolate, chopped

• 75g unsalted butter

• 3 eggs, separated

• 250ml whipping cream

• 45ml caster sugar

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Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180'C/350'F/Gas 4. Line three 20cm/8in round tins with greaseproof paper, grease the paper and dust with flour. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together three times.

2. Place the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Beat until doubled in volume, about 10 minutes. Add the vanilla. Fold in the flour mixture in three batches, then the butter.

3. Put the mixture in the tins. Bake until the cakes pull away from the tin sides, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.

4. For the icing, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Off the heat, stir in the butter and egg yolks. Return to the heat and stir until thick.

5. Whip the cream until firm. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Add the sugar and beat until glossy. Fold the cream, then the egg whites, into the chocolate mixture. Chill for about 20 minutes, then sandwich together and cover the cake with icing.