Lurpak chocolate cake

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Chocolate cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C fan.
2. Whisk the boiling water, cocoa powder, and chocolate in a bowl and leave to cool while you prepare the cake mixture.
3. Butter up a 25-centimetre diameter cake tin. Line the bottom with baking parchment and then butter the baking parchment too.
4. In a large bowl, beat the butter until it is soft and fluffy with an electric mixer. Add in the sugar and mix again until the sugar is combined well into the butter. You want it to be creamy and light yellow.
5. Separate the eggs and save the whites for later. Reduce speed to low and add the egg yolks one at a time mixing well in between. Now add it to the chocolate mixture.
6. Mix flour and baking powder together, sieve the flour, and then gently fold into the butter and egg mixture, alternating with the crème fraiche.
7. Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff and have little peaks, now fold into the mixture.
8. Pour the mixture into the prepared buttered cake tin, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the cake.
9. Let the cake cool in the tin placed on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then turn it out onto the wire rack, top side up; let it cool completely.

Buttercream:

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan, then add syrup and mix with a wooden spoon, now chop the milk and dark chocolate and place in a mixing bowl.
2. Take the saucepan off the heat and pour over the chocolate–butter mixture into a mixing bowl, whisking until smooth and glossy.
3. Leave for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, whisking now and again — when you’re passing the mixing bowl — you are looking for a consistency that is soft but firm enough, so you can spread over the cake without it being too runny, then it is time to assemble the cake.

Assembling the cake:

1. With a serrated knife, trim the top of the cake to flatten it out and cut it in two equal thick layers. Place the bottom on a serving dish and spread half the buttercream on the bottom half. Place the other half on top, and finally spread the last of the buttercream on top, with nice curvy movements, so it looks lush and tempting.