Annie Bell's Milk Chocolate Log

Only the crumbliest, flakiest chocolate will do here.

Preparation

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/gas 6.

2. 2

   Butter a 23cm x 32cm swiss roll tin, line it with baking paper and butter this also.

Making the Sponge

1. 3

   Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk for about 8 minutes using a hand-held electric whisk, until the mixture is almost white and mousse-like (alternatively, do this in a food processor using the whisking attachment, reducing the time to about 5 minutes).

2. 4

   Sift the flour and lightly fold it into the eggs/sugar in two goes, finishing with a pinch of salt.

3. 5

   Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth it using a palette knife.

4. 6

   Give the tin a couple of sharp taps to eliminate any large bubbles and bake the sponge for 8-10 minutes until it is lightly golden and springy to the touch.

5. 7

   Run a knife around the edge of the cake and leave it to cool.

Making the Chocolate Cream

1. 8

   Break the chocolate into pieces and gently melt in a bowl set over a pan containing a little simmering water, then leave it to cool to room temperature.

2. 9

   Place the mascarpone in the bowl of a food processor, add the melted chocolate and whiz until smooth.

Assembling the Cake

1. 10

   Turn the sponge out on to a board, peel off the paper and trim the edges using a bread knife.

2. 11

   Cut the sponge into three equal pieces across.

3. 12

   Using a palette knife, spread a third of the chocolate cream over each piece of sponge then stack into a layered or three-tiered cake.

4. 13

   Arrange the Flakes across the log, spaced a little way apart: if you need to trim the flakes to fit the cake, use a serrated knife.

Finishing Touches

1. 14

   Dust with icing sugar, cover and chill the cake for an hour.

2. 15

   If the cake is kept overnight, remove it from the fridge 15-30 minutes before serving.