Serves 10

Tiramisu, which means pick-me-up, is a classic. I have played with the ingredients and the concept to make a cake. Sometimes I add sliced strawberries or raspberries in between the layers to add a bit of colour and texture and to get one of my five a day.

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180g caster sugar

150g butter, softened

100g dark chocolate, melted

5 eggs

220g plain flour, sifted

1½ tsp baking powder

100ml milk

For the syrup:

100g caster sugar

100ml espresso

4 tbsp amaretto

For the filling:

400g mascarpone

50g icing sugar

2 tbsp amaretto

250ml double cream

100g dark chocolate, peeled into curls or leaves

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Line two 20cm round cake tins with baking parchment.

2 To make the cake, cream the sugar and butter together until pale and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate and the eggs, one at a time. Fold in the flour and baking powder, then carefully stir in the milk.

3 Divide the cake batter between the two tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

4 In the meantime, prepare the syrup by combining the sugar, coffee and amaretto in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Dissolve the sugar and simmer for a few minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

5 To prepare the filling, combine the mascarpone, icing sugar and amaretto in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form and then fold into the mascarpone mixture.

6 To assemble, slice each cake into two layers. Place a sponge layer on a cake stand and drizzle with some syrup. Spread some filling over and layer another sponge cake on top. Repeat with the remaining cake, syrup and filling, finishing with the filling. Decorate with chocolate curls or leaves.