Chocolate Biscuit Cake

Generously grease your cake tin and place a cross of baking paper which goes right up the sides leaving a little excess to enable you to lift the cake out. Simply add this cross of 2” strips in the base, then line the sides with a wide 3 strip and a circle on the base.

Break the rich tea biscuits by hand into small pieces. Avoid using a food processor or rolling pin, a pin as you’re looking for good chunks of biscuit!

Melt the dark chocolate and butter in a microwave or bain marie, leave to cool slightly.

With a balloon whisk or electric whisk, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla for a minute or so until a little foamy and the sugar grains are beginning to dissolve, then pour into the melted chocolate, continuously beating until you have a gloriously glossy chocolate mixture.

Fold through the broken biscuits and pour half into tin, press down firmly to pack the biscuits into the base with a rubber spatula or damp palms so you get a neat edge to the cake. This will become the top once turned out.

Cover with the rest of the mixture and using damp palms again, push down really firmly to pack it all in, then use a palette knife to level and smooth over the top

Chill until completely set for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight.

For the chocolate coating, boil the cream and pour over the chocolate, then pour on the butter.

Leave to sit for 5 minutes with a plate covering the bowl, then bring the ganache together by using a wooden spoon in the centre of the mix, stirring in one direction until the ganache comes together.

Set aside to cool and thicken slightly so it is soft peak and spreadable.

Pour onto the top of the cake and use a palette knife to spread over the top and sides, as neat as possible. Leave to set in the fridge, ideally overnight.

When set and ready to serve, release the cake from the tin by plunging the tin into hot water for 10 seconds or so, the butter will slightly melt and enable you to lift the set cake out of the tin.