Chef Dario Cavaliere writes a weekly food column for the Waterford News & Star

THIS cake can be made into a round or a loaf tin. I like to slice it so tend to use a loaf tin, but if you want to make it as a celebration cake then use a 9” round springform cake tin.

If you are making this cake as a birthday cake then you can also melt some chocolate and drizzle it over the top before serving and pipe some whipped heavy cream on top to make it extra special.

Ingredients

4 free range eggs

75g golden caster sugar

200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

2 tbsp. Nutella

450ml cream

50g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Method

Place a bowl over a pot of gently simmering water and place the sugar and the eggs in the bowl. Using an electric whisk, whisk the eggs and sugar until they have doubled in volume and become pale and fluffy.

Remove the bowl, and place it on top of another bowl of cold water. Continue to whisk until the mixture has cooled down.

Meanwhile, place the chocolate and Nutella in a separate bowl, and place over the simmering water to melt. Stir until smooth, then remove and allow to cool slightly.

Whip the double cream until soft peaks form then set aside.

Line a 2lb loaf tin with cling film, allowing a large overhang.

Carefully fold the chocolate into the whisked eggs until combined, and then fold in the cream and hazelnuts. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top. Wrap the top with the cling film overhang and place into the freezer overnight to set.

When ready to serve, remove from the freezer and allow the cake to thaw for 15 minutes. Tap the cake out from the tin and unwrap the cling film. Slice into 2cm thick slices and serve.