• IMPORTANT NOTE: For this recipe, it’s important that once it’s assembled it should be eaten within a few hours, preferably immediately, for be best and most delicious result, as the marshmallow fluff will slowly deflate and therefore change in texture.

DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYERS

• Preheat the oven at 175ºC conventional oven and prepare a 3 x 20 cm baking pan with parchment paper.
• Start by boiling some water and weigh out the water so it can cool down a bit while preparing the other ingredients.
  200 g boiling water
• In a bowl sift all of dry ingredients together. Give it a stir to make sure everything has combined.
  260 g all-purpose flour, 300 g sugar, 75 g unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
• In another mixing bowl add all of the wet ingredients, including the boiled water, and with a hand whisk, whisk them together until combined. Be sure to not mix the ingredients too vigorously so the eggs don’t get over mixed.
  240 g buttermilk, 110 g vegetable oil, 3 large eggs, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry while gently stirring it all together. Make sure there is no lumps left in the batter.
• Divide the cake batter into the 3 prepared 20 cm baking tins and bake them for 22-25 min or until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Let the cakes cool on a cooling rack. After 5 min, gently remove the cakes from the cake tins and let the cakes cool down completely.

DARK CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

• Melt the dark chocolate and heavy cream together over a bain-marie or in the microwave. Let it cool down slightly, it’s important that it’s not too hot, while making the buttercream.
  200 g dark chocolate, 100 g heavy cream
• Take the butter out of the fridge 10 min before starting. Cut the butter into cubes.
  300 g butter
• Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
  500 g powdered sugar, 25 g unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder
• In your stand mixer, use the paddle attachment, start by creaming the butter for 2 min on medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix 1 min more. Add the melted dark chocolate and mix it in until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another mix to make sure it’s fully incorporated with the butter. On low speed, add the sifted powdered sugar/cocoa powder in 3 portion, mixing it in until each addition is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and mix for 2 min on low/medium speed.
• Take the bowl off the stand mixer and with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, beat it well by hand to make sure to remove the air bubbles in the buttercream. Set it aside while making the marshmallow fluff.
• TIP: If the chocolate ganache becomes too cold, and you end up having chocolate bits in your buttercream when adding the ganache to the butter, place the butter/chocolate mixture in the microwave for 15 seconds at a time to slowly melt the chocolate together with the butter without melting the butter. Then add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder as instructed. If the buttercream is to the softer side then place it in the fridge to cool down for 30 min. Then give it a mix and it’s ready to be used.

MARSHMALLOW FLUFF

• Make sure your bowl and whisk are completely clean before you begin.
• In a mixing bowl of your stand mixer, add the egg whites, glucose syrup and granulated sugar. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure the water does not touch the bowl. Use the whisk attachment to your mixer, to constantly stir around the mixture, until the sugar granules have melted together with the egg whites.
  50 g egg whites, 95 g granulated sugar, 40 g glucose syrup or corn syrup
• Then take it off the heat and place it in your stand mixer, and immediately set it on high speed. Let it mix for 5-6 min until the bowl feels room temperature and the fluff is stiff. Add the vanilla paste and mix it in.
  ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste
• Transfer to a piping bag to more easily divide the marshmallow fluff on the cake.

ASSEMBLING

• Cut the tops of the chocolate cakes so they are an even heigh. Place the first sponge layer on your serving dish or cake board on your turntable. If you don’t have a turntable, don’t worry, you can easily decorate the cake without it.
• Then add a small dollop of the chocolate buttercream in the middle of the cake. With an offset spatula, even it out. Add a bit of the chocolate buttercream to a piping bag and pipe a boarder around the top of the cake. It’s important you make a strong/wide boarder of buttercream for the marshmallow not to move or espace.
• Crush some digestive cookies and spinkle it over the marshmallow fluff. Add the next sponge layer do the same process as before. Place the last sponge and add a bit of chocolate buttercream and cover the whole cake in a thin crumb coat. Place it in the freezer for 30 min to set. This will make it easier to add the final coat of buttercream.
  100 g digestive cookies
• Take the cake out of the freezer after the 30 min and add the remaining buttercream on the cake in an even layer. Scape down the sides of the cake to get smooth sides on the cake. Place it back in the freezer for 30 min. Meanwhile make the ganache for the decoration.

GANACHE

• Chop the dark chocolate if your not using chocolate chips.
  100 g dark chocolate
• Heat the heavy cream to a boil and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for 2 min. Then stir it together with a rubber spatula until smooth.
  100 g heavy cream
• Then take the cold cake out of the fridge pour the ganache over the cake so it create a drip effect. Even the top out with an offset spatula.
• Lastly decorate with large marshmallows and give them a slight blow torch for a toasted effect.
  a bag of marshmallows
• It’s ready to be enjoyed. Best enjoyed immediately.