Orange-flavored génoise, covered in a chocolate glaze and layered with a salted caramel cream – I just had to include salted caramel in this recipe as it’s one of my favorite fillings.

Ingredients

For the génoise

• 40g/1½oz unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
• 5 medium free-range eggs
• 165g/5¾oz caster sugar
• 2 large oranges, finely grated zest only
• pinch salt
• 165g/5¾oz plain flour

For the salted caramel sauce

• 55g/2oz unsalted butter
• 130g/4⅔oz soft light brown sugar
• 5 tbsp double cream
• 1 tsp sea salt

For the cream base

• 600ml/20fl oz double cream
• 1 tbsp butter (to thicken, if necessary)
• ivory gel food color (optional)

For the chocolate glaze

• 150ml/5fl oz double cream
• 135g/5oz caster sugar
• 55g/2oz cocoa powder
• 3 leaves gelatine

To decorate

• 100g/3½oz granulated sugar
• 50g/1¾oz blanched hazelnuts
• chocolate curls (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/Gas 4. Grease and line two 20cm/8in springform cake tins with baking paper.
2. For the génoise, half fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. In a large heatproof mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugar, then place the bowl over the saucepan (creating a bain-marie). Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
3. Using a hand-held electric whisk, vigorously whisk the mixture for around 7 minutes, or until trebled in volume, pale and it leaves ribbons on the surface when the beater is lifted. Remove the mixture from the heat as soon as it is warm to the touch to avoid cooking the eggs.
4. Gently fold in the orange zest and salt. Sift the flour into the mixture in three batches, gently folding in each batch before adding the next. Slowly pour the melted butter down the side of the bowl and fold in.
5. Divide the mixture equally between the prepared cake tins, pouring from as low a height as possible. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until they are coming away from the sides of the tin and a cake skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. For the salted caramel sauce, put the butter and light brown sugar in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is melted (about 3 minutes). Drizzle in the double cream, mixing well – take care as the mix may splatter. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the heat. Stir in the sea salt and set aside to cool, stirring frequently to prevent a crust from forming. When cooled, whisk it for 1-2 minutes to incorporate some air.
7. For the cream base, whisk the double cream until stiff peaks form. Then whisk in the salted caramel to make a salted caramel cream. If the mixture is too loose, beat the butter until smooth and add to the salted caramel cream as necessary. Use a toothpick to add enough ivory food coloring to make a light brown/orange color (if using).
8. To assemble the cake, cut each cake in half horizontally to make four layers. Carefully place the first layer on a cake board. Using a palette knife, spread about 5mm of cream on top in an even layer. Place the next layer of génoise on top and repeat the cream and cake layers until you have four layers of génoise with salted caramel cream on top of each layer.
9. Apply a ‘crumb coat’ of cream all over the cake, ensuring any gaps are filled to give a smooth surface. Make sure there are no overhanging edges as this will affect the mirror glaze later. Transfer the cake to the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
10. Remove the cake from the fridge and add a final layer of cream all over, finishing it carefully using a palette knife (the smoother the cream, the better the final finish will be). Place back in fridge for 20 minutes, along with any remaining cream.