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1
Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4.
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2
Put the cocoa powder and drinking chocolate into a small bowl.
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3
Add 50ml freshly boiled water, mix to a paste and set aside.
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4
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt together and set aside.
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5
In a large mixing bowl, using either a wooden spoon or a hand-held electric whisk, beat the butter to a cream.
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6
Add both the sugars and the cocoa paste.
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7
Continue beating until light and very creamy.
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8
Add the eggs one at a time, adding 1 tbsp of the flour with each and beating thoroughly before adding the next.
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9
Then fold in the remaining flour with the buttermilk little by little - dry, wet, dry, wet - until you have a very soft, creamy mixture.
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10
Finally, carefully fold in the ground almonds.
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11
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin(s), spreading it out lightly and evenly with the back of the spoon.
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12
Bake in the oven, allowing 45-50 minutes for a cake in a 23cm tin and 35-40 minutes for cakes in 20cm deep sandwich tins.
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13
Leave the cake(s) in the tin(s) for 10 minutes before turning out and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
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14
When cold, cut the 23cm cake into three layers, or each of the 20cm cakes into two layers.
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15
Sandwich the layers together with the chocolate fudge icing, saving sufficient to smother over the top.
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16
Finish the top with a sprinkling of grated chocolate.
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17
This cake will keep for 5-6 days in an airtight tin.
