Chocolate Cake

Pre-heat the oven.
Rub some butter around the inside of a 18cm/7” round deep, loose bottom cake tin or insert a baking liner.
Cut a 300mm/12” square of parchment, greaseproof or brown paper, fold the corners to meet in the middle, press to make folded flaps and save for later.
Sieve the icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of cocoa into a bowl, add the almonds, coffee powder and water and mix into a ball of paste.
Break off a quarter of the paste, cover and set aside for later.
Dust a chopping board with icing sugar, put the paste in the middle and dust it with icing sugar.
Roll the paste into a circle a little smaller than the diameter of the tin 18cm/7”. Put the tin on top to check.
Chop the butter into small cubes.
Put the butter cubes and sugar into a mixing bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.
Break the eggs into the bowl one at a time, beating well between each addition.
Sieve the remaining spoon of cocoa into a bowl and beat again.
Beat in the flour.
Stir in the currants and chocolate chips.
Tip half the mixture into the prepared cake tin and spread it out.
Lift the paste circle into the tin, on top of the cake mixture.
Put the remaining cake mixture onto the paste and smooth the surface.
Place the prepared paper square over the cake tin with the folded flaps pointing down to loosely cover the tin when it goes into the oven
Bake for 1½-1¾ hours.
Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Chocolate Topping

Using the reserved paste, divide it into 11 pieces and roll each into a small ball.
Break the chocolate into small pieces.
Put the cream and sugar into a saucepan, over a medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved.
Stir the cream and sugar and bring to the boil.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
Add the syrup and vanilla extract and stir until smooth and glossy.
Pour evenly over the top and sides of the cake.
Press the paste balls into the chocolate icing.
Leave the cake for a couple of hours for the icing to set.
When the icing is set, store the cake in an airtight tin.