Smith Island cake

Chop the chocolate. Heat with 85 g butter, 335 g sugar and the cream, stirring. Once fully boiling, cook for 2 minutes or until 104 °C. Off the heat, stir in 1 tsp vanilla. Cool for at least 120 minutes until spreadable rather than runny.

Bring the butter, eggs and buttermilk to room temperature. Sift the flour and mix with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat 340 g butter with 350 g sugar for about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the eggs, then 2.5 tsp vanilla. On low speed, alternate additions of the dry ingredients and buttermilk, stopping once smooth.

Heat the conventional oven to 175 °C. Prepare 3 tins of 23 cm and baking paper for 9 layers. Use 15 g butter to grease the tins and paper across the batches. Divide all the batter into equal portions for the layers and spread thinly in each tin. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes per batch until a skewer comes out free of raw batter. Carefully turn out onto paper after a few minutes. Reuse the cooled tins for the 3 batches. Cool all the layers completely, about 60 minutes.

Stack the cold layers with a thin coating of icing between each. Spread the remaining icing on top and let it fall down the sides. Leave to set for at least 60 minutes before slicing.