Fancy chocolate cake

Serves at least 12. There really are an obscene amount of eggs – 12 plus another four yolks – and mountains of sugar in this cake. Best just to make it once a year.

Preheat an oven to 180 degrees/gas 4. You’ll need to line a 25cm x 8cm spring-form cake tin with baking paper.

To make the cake: Whisk the egg whites and when they are starting to stiffen, gradually add half of the sugar. You don't want really stiff egg whites, just forming soft peaks.

Whisk the other 250g sugar with the six egg yolks until pale, thick and creamy and doubled in volume. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder together and fold this into the egg yolk mixture. Fold in the egg whites and finally fold in the almonds. Make sure everything is well mixed and then pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave to cool, for a couple of hours, then remove the ring but leave the cake on the base as it will be going back in the oven. Slice the cake in half, horizontally, and then put the ring back on the cake and pour half the filling onto this layer. put the top half of the cake in the tin and pour the remaining half of the filling on top. Turn down the oven so that it’s at 110 degrees/gas ¼ and put the cake in the oven for 20 minutes. I turned off the oven and left the cake to cool in it overnight.

To make the filling: Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. Add the butter to the melted chocolate. Whisk the eggs and sugar together for a good while – a good ¨five minutes – until doubled in volume. Fold in the melted chocolate mixture and proceed to pour the filling into the layers of cake as above.

To make the glaze: This can be done on the day of serving. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water, then take it off the heat and whisk in the olive oil. Once it starts to cool and thicken you can put the finished cake on a stand and when the icing is on the verge of setting, spoon or pour it over the cake.

dkemp@irishtimes.com