Yuletide Bomb - The Recipe

The Recipe:

Preheat oven to 190 CSeparate all of the eggs and place the whites in large mixing bowl and the yolks into another large mixing bowl. Be extra vigilant when separating eggs a yolk may split as you are separating your last egg, this could ruin the whole process of making the cake. May I suggest that you, separate each egg into a small bowl first then add to the larger bowl. My method of separating eggs is catching the yolk in your hands and allowing the white fall through.Start to whisk the egg whites using your hand mixer or freestanding mixer until they become thick and peaking. When peaks have started to occur, gradually whisk in 60g of the caster sugar and continue whisking until the whites hold their peaks.Place the remaining sugar into the bowl with the egg yolks and begin to whisk until the mixture has lightened considerably and become thicker. When thickened add the cocoa and vanilla extract and beat into the egg and sugar mixture.Add several heaped tbsp of the stiff egg whites to the yolk mixture and fold in carefully. When the mixture has been lightened by the egg whites you can start to add it to the yolk mixture in larger amounts. When adding the egg whites you have to slowly fold them into the yolk mixture to avoid loss of air. When both mixtures are fully incorporated tip it out on to a lined Swiss roll tin. Allow the cake to cook in the oven for 18-20 minutesWhilst it is cooking you can crack on with the chocolate butter cream icing to cover the cake with. Start by melting the chocolate in a bowl over hot water like I have previously instructed in my chocolate fondant recipe. As the chocolate melts beat the butter in a separate bowl to soften it. When the butter has been beaten for a few minutes gradually add the icing sugar along with a few drops of water and the vanilla extract. When all the icing sugar has been incorporated add the melted chocolate it a sedate manner. You should now have a chocolate butter cream mixture.Remove the sheet of cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Once it has cooled you can start ripping it up into different size chunks. Start to assemble these chunks of cake on a board with a piece of cling film underneath it. Keep building up the layer until you have something that resembles a mound or a mountain.When you have a shape which you are happy with you can start to ice the cake with the chocolate butter cream. It is hard for me to describe what to do at this point as your cake may have taken a different shape to mine but I recommend you use your baker?s instinct and continue to ice until you are happy. Once iced you need to decorate your cake to make it look slightly more Christmassy. I sprinkle icing sugar over the top to represent snow as well as place some freshly picked holly on top. It looks truly amazing and I can guarantee you that it will go down a treat. Serve with lashing of single cream.