Best-Ever Layered Chocolate Cake

This is the most delicious chocolate cake – three layers of light, hazelnut chocolate sponge iced and sandwiched with super-simple, light, eggless, chocolate mousse and finished with some Ferrero Rocher.

Ingredients
200g unsalted, softened butter
250g caster sugar
1 tbsp instant coffee
180ml boiling water
150g plain flour
50g unsweetened cocoa powder
50g ground almonds
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
100g sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g roasted, hazelnut pieces, chopped
200g dark chocolate
400ml double cream
2 tbsp caster sugar
250g mascarpone cheese
5-6 Ferrero Rochers, crushed

Method
– Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160°C with a fan.

– Beat together the butter and caster sugar for a couple of minutes until smooth.

– Mix the coffee and water together in a jug.

– Mix together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

– Add the sour cream to the coffee and mix in.

– Add eggs to the butter mixture and blend until well combined.

– Scrape down the sides, add the vanilla extract and mix again.

– Add half of the dry mix and beat through.

– Add half of the liquid and mix through.

– When it starts to come together, continue blending and add the remaining dry mix and then slowly add the remaining liquid.

– Beat for another couple of minutes. Add the hazelnuts and mix them through.

– Grease and line three 8” cake tins.

– Divide the cake batter evenly between the tins. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

– When cooked, the sides should come away from the tin. Leave to cool completely.

– To make the mousse, melt the chocolate over a pan of boiling water.

– Whisk the cream and caster sugar until soft peaks form.

– Mix the melted chocolate through the cheese.

– Add a small amount of the whipped cream to loosen it and mix through.

– Continue adding the cream and mixing until all is blended.

– Place a cake on a plate and smooth some mousse over it.

– Sandwich the second layer and smooth more mousse over it.

– Sandwich the third layer and then use the remaining mousse to ice the cake.

– Sprinkle the Ferrero Rocher pieces over the top of the cake to decorate.

– Press more hazelnuts into the sides of the cake until it is covered.

If not serving immediately, keep it in the fridge.