Chocolate cake

Preheat the oven to 180ºC / gas 4. Line the base and sides of a 20 cm springform cake tin, with baking parchment.

Place the cocoa in a pan and slowly add the boiling water, stirring until smooth. Add the butter and sugar and warm over a low heat until the ingredients have melted together. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly, then gradually add the eggs, beating them in.

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder together and fold into the cocoa mixture. Do this thoroughly until it has an even colour – the mixture will be very sloppy. Pour it into the prepared tin and bake for between 1 hour and 1 hour 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. When the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool in the tin for 15 minutes. Then turn it upside down onto a cooling rack and leave it to cool completely. This will give a level finish to the cake.

For the chocolate covering: heat the cream in a pan to boiling point. Remove it from the heat and add the chocolate; stir until it has melted and is blended with the cream. Leave the mixture to cool until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, then spread over the cake. Put it in the fridge to set before serving.