Valentine Decadent Cake

For the filling: heat the cream in a pan and bring to a boil. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Chill for 4 hours.

For the cake: heat the oven to 180°C (160° fan) 350°F gas 4. Grease an 18 cm| 7" heart-shaped cake tin and line the base with non-stick baking paper.

Whisk the egg yolks with half the sugar until very creamy.

Whisk the egg whites until softly peaking, then whisk in the remaining sugar until stiff.

Sift the flour, cornflour, cocoa and baking powder onto the egg yolk mixture, add the beaten egg whites and fold in all together, until blended.

Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake at 175°C/350°F for about 30 minutes, until firm to the touch. Test by inserting a skewer into the centre -it should come out clean. Leave to cool in the tin then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cake is cold, cut it horizontally into three.

Whisk the chocolate cream until thick and spread each layer with chocolate cream.

Re-assemble the cake and sift cocoa over the top layer.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering (not boiling) water. Allow to cool until just warm, then reheat in the bowl until thin and runny. Allow to cool slightly.