Feed a crowd this Christmas with this seriously decadent pud , totally chocolatey , with real tiramisu and trifle , a match made in heaven!

You’ll need

Piping bags, 

3 x 6” baking round tins or 2 x 8”,

 large trifle bowl 

Stuff that’s in it 

*Cake

You will need 3 small solid baking tins 6” round or use 2 x 8” round tins which will take slightly longer to bake 

 (or buy ready made chocolate cake/brownies, this is a cheaper and tastier way though and you can make the day before and store in an air tight container) 

Pre heat your oven to 170c (fan assist) 

Start by sieving the flour , icing sugar , cocoa and baking powder together, into a large mixing bowl. I used a cloth to cover the sieve over the bowl so as to not let a cloud rise of power all over while I was sieving 

rub the cubes of butter between your fingers and thumbs through the flour mixture until the butter combines and makes a fine crumb or mud!

Ensure all butter has mixed in and no large lumps remain.

Whisk the eggs , milk and coffee together with a fork then pour into the crumb mixture and lightly fold in to the dry mixture with a spatula until combined , it will be thin at first but thickens up.

Line the tins with parchment paper on the bottom by using a touch of butter to stick to the bottom, or spray oil.

Lay the paper down on a flat surface , place the tin on top , Draw a circle around the tin and cut , repeat twice more 

Add a smidge of butter to stick the paper on the bottom of each tin then divide the mixture between the 3 and smooth until level and bake for around 25 - 30 minutes or until each one is risen and a clean skewer comes out of each one.

Alternatively use a larger cake mould to bake a single cake , decrease the temperature to 150c and bake for longer until a clean skewer can be removed 

I then allowed to cool and wrapped in cling film then placed in a air tight container in a cool dry area of my house until I was ready to build but use once cooled if doing all on the same day.

When ready to use , if you want the cake to be super moist, slice the baked risen peak tops off the cake so its level then make a syrup 

Add the sugar, water, vanillas essence and a shot of Kahlua to a pan, gently bring to the boil without moving then once everything has dissolved and bubbling , gently stir, remove from the heat and cool.

Use a pastry brush to glaze the syrup all over the sliced cake sp it soaks into it. Slice each round into squares and set aside.

For the tiramisu filling, heat a pan of hot water and add a heatproof bowl over the top, make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Keep the water on a rolling simmer, add the eggs, caster sugar and Kahlua, use a whisk  - beating continuously for around 8 minutes until thickened and pale. Place in the fridge to cool. 

In a separate bowl whisk together the mascarpone and cream until creamy thickened peaks develop.

Once the egg mixture is cool enough, add it into the bowl with the creamed mascarpone and double cream, use a spatula to gently fold together until light fluffy and Add back to the fridge.

For the chocolate custard , add the custard to a saucepan snd heat gently , then add the chocolate pieces, stir until blended and chocolate coloured, ensuring fully incorporated, remove from heat cover and cool the fridge.

For the cremeaux, add the 2nd custard to a pan, heat and add the coffee granuals , allow to dissolve then add the chocolate pieces and stir continuously until fully melted, turn the heat off and let cool before adding the butter, whisk and melt at the same time until it goes shiny.

Cover and Allow to cool in the fridge for a while before building your trifle.

For the whipped cream topping, add the cream to a bowl, add the icing sugar then the muscavado sugar and whisk until soft peaks form. cover and Set aside in the fridge until ready to build  

For the lady finger mixture 

Add the amaretto, espresso and cocoa powder to a jug , whisk and pour into a high sided container so you can dip the lady fingers into. 

Add your cake pieces to the bottom of your trifle bowl , fill a piping bag with custard , snip the end and squeeze a top ayer over the the brownies.

Then fill another piping bag with the cremeaux… if its stiff, loosen with a fork first or whisk so you can squeeze out easily as this can stiffen up a little if left long enough in the fridge.  Pipe the cremeaux over the custard into the middle to completely cover it for another layer.

Then dip each lady finger in the pre made mixture for 5 seconds and add then in another layer on top of the cremeaux, I snipped the ends off for a light biscuit effect.

Now add the tiramisu and use the back of a large spoon to smooth all over. Finish with the whipped cream topping , plopping on to make a cream tower, use the remaining cake to decorate and the dust with cocoa powder.

Enjoy within 3 days and keep covered in a sealed container in the fridge.