150gunsalted butter, softened (Top tip: leave out of the fridge for a few hours to get to room temperature)
300gicing sugar
150gdark chocolate, melted
Chocolate ganache
100gdouble cream
100gdark chocolate, grated
strawberries, halved
Instructions
For the sponge
Preheat the oven to 180°c / gas 4. Grease 3 x 7" tins grease with margarine and a light dusting of flour and set aside.
Beat together the margarine and sugar with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla extract. In another bowl add the flour and baking powder.
Add a ¼ of the eggs to the butter and stir in, then fold in ¼ of the flour and stir until combined and then repeat until all the eggs and flour are mixed together and smooth.
Stir in the sifted cocoa powder and mix until all combined.
Divide the mixture between the 3 cake tins and bake for approx 20-25mins until when pressed in the middle the cake springs back.
Leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack.
Adding the chocolate buttercream
Gently melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot simmering water and allow to cool slightly.
Beat the butter and icing sugar together until smooth, then add the melted chocolate.
Spread the chocolate buttercream over bottom cake, place the second sponge on top and spread another level on top, placing the third sponge on top. With the remaining buttercream, spread over the top and all around the sides, levelling so it's smooth.
Chocolate ganache
Put the grated chocolate in a heat proof bowl.
In a saucepan, gently warm the cream until just starting to simmer, then gently pour over the grated chocolate and stir until you have a smooth sauce.
Spoon into a piping bag, snip a tiny bit off the bottom and then gently pipe around and gently dripping the chocolate sauce down the sides. Then gently pipe the rest of the chocolate sauce over the top, spreading it carefully with a pallet knife.
Decorate with some strawberries and then place in the fridge for 30mins to allow the chocolate sauce to harden.