BOUDOIR BISCUIT CAKE

Serves 6 For the filling, you will need:

• 100g softened butter, plus extra to butter the parchment paper

• 100g sieved icing sugar

• 1 tablespoons cocoa

• 1 tablespoon brandy or whiskey

• 1 egg yolk

• Approximately 36 boudoir sponge biscuits (ladyfingers)

• 250ml cream

• 1 chocolate flake

For the dip, you will need:

• 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules

• 2 tablespoons brandy or whiskey

• 50g caster sugar

• 200ml boiling water

1 Line a loaf tin with buttered parchment paper.

2 In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the dip and stir until the coffee granules and the sugar have dissolved. Leave to cool.

3 In another bowl, make the filling. Add the 100g of softened butter, the sieved icing sugar, the cocoa, the brandy or whiskey, whichever you’re using, and the egg yolk. Stir together to mix.

4 When the dip has cooled, immerse each sponge biscuit into the liquid for a couple of seconds — long enough for the biscuit to be moist, but not soggy. Place the moist biscuit into the base of the loaf tin and repeat the process until the base is lined with biscuits. Cover the fingers with half the filling, then repeat with more moistened biscuits. Add another layer of filling, then repeat with a third layer of moistened biscuits.

5 Cover the tin with cling film and put it in the freezer overnight or until needed.

6 To serve, take the cake out of the freezer a few hours before it’s needed and turn it out onto a dish. Whip the cream and spread it over the whole dessert. Decorate with broken-up chocolate flake.