Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

Preheat oven to 190degC. Lightly grease and line two 20-22cm round cake tins with baking paper.

Use an electric beater to beat sugar, vanilla and eggs in a large mixing bowl for 3 minutes on high speed, until pale, light and fluffy.

Add milk, melted butter and a pinch of salt, then sift in flour, dark cocoa and baking powder and fold together using a large metal spoon until just combined – do not over-mix or the sponge will be tough.

Spoon mixture equally into tins. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until sponges spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the tins for 5 minutes before removing.

Measure flour by tipping it into cup. If you scoop it from the packet, you end up with too much flour!

You can make sponges a day ahead and keep in an airtight container in the pantry (not the fridge or they will dry out). If sponges do dry out, they can be revived with a drizzle of cream, liqueur or jam mixed with a little water.

Place caster sugar, water and lemon juice in a clean pan and heat over medium heat until an amber caramel colour. Do not stir, but rather swirl contents around pan to make sure all the sugar melts evenly. Very quickly stir in the hazelnuts and salt while still warm, then pour over a piece of baking paper on the bench and leave to cool to a hard praline (about 15 minutes).

Once praline is very hard, finely chop it, or briefly blitz in a food processor, until it resembles coarse crumbs. Mix one-third of praline with the corn flakes and reserve for a garnish.

Gently heat cream and chocolate in a bowl in the microwave or on stove for 1-2 minutes, stirring often, until you have a smooth silky ganache. Leave in fridge to cool for about 1 hour.

When ready to assemble, use an electric beater to whip the cold ganache with the vanilla until smooth, soft, fluffy and pale, much like chocolate mousse (about 2 minutes) – add a bit more cream to get a softer consistency if you need to. Be careful not to over-whip or it may split.

Place one sponge on a serving plate or stand. Drizzle with half the cream or liqueur. Spread with half the ganache and sprinkle over the praline crumbs. Top with the second cake layer, drizzle with remaining cream and spread over remaining ganache. Garnish with Ferrero Rochers, praline and corn flake mixture (on top and around sides and base), dark chocolate, hazelnuts and gold leaf (if using). For even more theatre, serve with a lit sparkler in the middle!

Try to get your hands on fresh, good quality hazelnuts from a healthfood store where the turnover of nuts is high (often the ones in supermarket packets have been sitting there for ages and don’t have much flavour or crunch, and may even be a bit rancid).

You can assemble the cake up to a few hours in advance and leave it at room temperature in a cool, dark place until ready to serve.