Instructions: Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. Grease and baseline two l&mdiameter round sandwich tins.

Roughly chop lOOg of the chocolate and set aside.

Break the remaining chocolate into pieces and melt id a bowl with the butter over hot water. Beat together the eggs and sugar and stir in the melted chocolate.

Sift the flour and stir in with the vanilla extract chopped nuts and chopped chocolate.

Divide between the tins and bake for about 30 minutes until the surface has a firm sugary crust and feels firm.

Loosen edges with a knife and turn upsidedown on to a wire rack covered with greaseproof paper but dont remove the tins until the cakes are cool.

Mix the cream and chocolate for the filling in a pan and heat gently to melt the chocolate. ]

Cool whisk until stiff and use to sandwich the cakes together.

To make chocolate curls melt plain and white chocolate in separate bowls.

Use a teaspoon to trail thin lines of white chocolate onto a marble slab or clean smooth baking sheet leaving gaps of the same width between the lines.

Fill the gaps with plain chocolate and leave to set.

When just set but not brittle push a sharp knife across the surface at an angle of 45 degrees or use a new paperstripping knife held at a slightly lower angle.

Pile the curls on top of the cake.

If you dont feel up to making the chocolate curls cheat by dragging a potato peeler over the back of a large chocolate bar that has been left at room temperature.

Serves 14 to 16

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