Vanilla sponge cake with bittersweet chocolate filling and fluffy peanut butter icing topped with peanut praline pieces.

Vanilla sponge cake with bittersweet chocolate filling and fluffy peanut butter icing topped with peanut praline pieces.

Mary Berry sponge cake Recipe:

4 free-range eggs

225g/8oz caster sugar, plus a little extra for dusting the finished

225g/8oz self-raising flour

2 tsp baking powder

225g/8oz baking spread, margarine or soft butter at room temperature, plus a little extra to grease the tins

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Grease and line 2 x 20cm/8in sandwich tins: use a piece of baking or silicone paper to rub a little baking spread or butter around the inside of the tins until the sides and base are lightly coated. Line the bottom of the tins with a circle of baking or silicone paper (to do this, draw around the base of the tin onto the paper and cut out).

Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, then add the sugar, flour, baking powder and baking spread.

Mix everything together until well combined. The easiest way to do this is with an electric hand mixer, but you can use a wooden spoon. Put a damp cloth under your bowl when you’re mixing to stop it moving around. Be careful not to over-mix – as soon as everything is blended you should stop. The finished mixture should be of a soft ‘dropping’ consistency – it should fall off a spoon easily.

Divide the mixture evenly between the tins: this doesn’t need to be exact, but you can weigh the filled tins if you want to check. Use a spatula to remove all of the mixture from the bowl and gently smooth the surface of the cakes.

Place the tins on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Don't be tempted to open the door while they're cooking, but after 20 minutes do look through the door to check them.

The cakes are done when they’re golden-brown and coming away from the edge of the tins. Press them gently to check – they should be springy to the touch. Remove them from the oven and set aside to cool in their tins for five minutes. Then run a palette or rounded butter knife around the inside edge of the tin and carefully turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack.

Chocolate filling

150 g chocolate

1 tbsp. strong brewed coffee

100g unsalted butter, softened

Melt the chocolate with the coffee in a bowl over simmering water (stirring constantly)

Take f the heat and whisk in the butter tablespoon at a time till it is all incorporated. Place in the fridge till ready to use.

Peanut butter icing

55 g unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 to 1 and a half cups powdered sugar (depending on your desired consistency)

4 tablespoon milk

In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, beat butter and peanut butter until creamy and virtually no butter lumps remain.  Scrape down the bowl.  Add three cups of powdered sugar and beat on low for 1 minute.  Add milk a tablespoon at a time and beat on medium high for 1 minute until you have your desired consistency.

Peanut praline

100g castor sugar

¾ peanuts, toasted

Line a baking pan with baking paper and place on it the peanuts. Set aside.

Place sugar in a saucepan and heat gently till it has all melted and turned a dark amber colour. Pour over peanuts and let set. Put in a bag and bash with a rolling pin.

Place on cake on a cake stand and spread over the chocolate filling. Place the second cake on top and spread over the peanut butter icing and top with praline.