Ingredients

Chocolate Cake:
• Flour 1 cup
• Sugar 1 cup
• Baking powder
• Cocoa 1/2 cup
• Water 1/2 cup, warm Oil 1/2 cup
• Eggs 5, separated

Chocolate Mascarpone Buttercream:
• Butter 125g, room temperature
• Icing sugar 4 cups
• Cocoa 1T
• Mascarpone 125g Vanilla extract 1T
• Dark chocolate 300g, melted

Cashew Brittle Dust:
• Cashew Brittle 100g

Instructions

For the cake:
• Preheat the oven to 180.
• Line the bottom of two 18cm cake tins with baking paper and then butter and flour the sides.
• Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and cocoa into a large mixing bowl.
• Whisk in the water and oil until smooth, then then mix in the yolks.
• Whip up the egg whites and fold into the chocolate mixture until combined.
• Pour into the cake tins and bake for 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
• Allow cakes to cool slightly before transferring them onto a wire rack.

For the chocolate mascarpone butter cream:
• Cream the butter, icing sugar and cocoa until pale.
• Add the mascarpone and vanilla extract until combined.
• Make sure the melted chocolate has had time to cool slightly.
• Pour a steady stream of the melted chocolate and beat for 5 minutes and the buttercream is fluffy.
• Store in the fridge until needed.

Cashew Brittle Dust:
• Break the brittle into pieces and pulse in a food processor until it resembles dust.

Assemble the Cake
• Add one spoon of buttercream on the cake stand, to ensure the cake doesn’t slide around.
• Place one layer of cake on a cake stand, spoon half the icing onto the cake and spread it using a pallet knife. Sprinkle some of cashew brittle dust on top of the buttercream.
• Gently place the second layer of cake and dollop the rest of the buttercream on top of the cake and smooth over with a pallet knife, forming swirls.
• Finish the cake off with a generous sprinkling of cashew brittle dust.