Ingredients

Ingredients

•  6 eggs, separated
•  1/2 tsp cream of tartar
•  60g cocoa
•  260g plain flour
•  360g golden caster sugar
•  11/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
•  1 tsp table salt
•  125ml vegetable oil
•  2 tsp vanilla extract

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

•  500g slightly salted butter, at room temperature
•  200g icing sugar
•  50g drinking chocolate
•  2-3 tbsp milk
• TO DECORATE
•  5 x 135g pouches Maltesers

Directions

Method

• STEP 1

  Line the bottom and sides of a 23-24cm (at least 10cm deep) cake tin with baking paper. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff. Put the remaining cake ingredients into a separate bowl with 190ml water and blend to a rich, thick chocolate mixture. Fold in the egg whites. Don’t beat the mixture, as you want to keep the egg whites fluffy. Just fold and fold and fold.
  When the mixture has no more visible white streaks, pour it into the tin. Bake for approximately 1 hour. When it is ready it will feel spongy and there will be a soft crust on the top. Cool IN the tin for about 10 minutes then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.

• STEP 2

  Put the cake on a cakeboard or plate, with about 3-4cm space from the cake to the rim of the plate. Put the buttercream ingredients into a large bowl and beat until really soft, creamy and fluffy. If you need it to be a softer, just add a spoon of milk and mix again.

• STEP 3

  Ice the cake in an even layer. Starting at the bottom of the cake, by the plate, and working your way all around the cake, take one Malteser at a time and push them into the icing. Then start the next layer, resting the next layer of Maltesers on the layer below. Keep going until you get to the top, then in circles, work your way into the middle until the whole cake is covered.