• Preheat oven to 180˚C (350˚F / 160°C Fan) and line and grease 2 x 8in cake pans.
• Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and set aside.
  160 g plain flour, 70 g good quality cocoa powder, 2 tsp baking powder
• Cream the butter and sugar until pale.
  220 g salted butter, 250 g white sugar
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.
  3 large eggs
• Add the vanilla and mix.
  1 tsp vanilla paste/extract
• Add the flour mix in 3 additions, beating gently, at the lowest speed, alternating with half of the evaporated milk, finishing with the flour, gently folding in the last part.
  200 ml evaporated milk
• Finally, gently stir in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon.
  30 g dark chocolate, 30 g milk chocolate, 40 g white chocolate
• Divide the mixture up into the 2 baking tins and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Just remember that the cake will continue cooking for a few minutes after you take it out of the oven, so don't look for it to have come away from the sides of the cake pan. Just insert a skewer and if it comes out clean, it's done.

Milk Chocolate Ganache

• Place the chocolate pieces in a large bowl.
  300 g milk chocolate, broken up in little pieces
• Heat the cream to simmering point, then pour all over the chocolate pieces and let sit for a minute.
  125 ml double (thick) cream
• Stir the cream and chocolate together until you get a smooth mix. You could beat this ganache with electric beaters to get a shiny effect.

Chocolate Shards

• Melt both chocolate separately. I do all this in the microwave oven. White chocolate has a tendency to burn, so I heat it at 50% power in 30-60 second bursts. My oven has a strength of 1,000 watts.
  150 g white chocolate , 150 g dark chocolate
• Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
• Pour the above chocolate on the baking paper, alternating them to create a mix. Save 2 Tbsp of each for the piping bags.
• Spread the melted chocolate out with a spreader/knife and leave in fridge to set for 10 minutes.
• Using a large, sharp knife, cut the chocolate up at angles as you can see in the picture.

DECORATING THE CAKE

• Trim the chocolate cakes if you want the crusts off but I don't bother. Spread the buttercream on one of the cakes and place the other on top.
  ¼ portion chocolate buttercream icing
• Spreading the chocolate ganache - chocolate ganache hardens very quickly, so unless you are very quick, you won't get a smooth cake if using a spatula. So you have 2 choices:

  Spread the ganache the best you can.

  OR

  Heat the ganache until very runny (be careful not to overdo and burn it). Place the cake on a cake rack with a large tray lined with baking paper underneath. Then, liberally, pour the ganache all over the cake and let it run down the sides into the tray. This will give you a smooth, unlined effect.
  milk chocolate ganache
• Let the ganache cool and harden for about 5 minutes.

Chocolate Lines and Triangular Shards

• Place the 2 Tbsp of melted chocolate into the piping bags and snip off a tiny opening. Then just drizzle the melted dark and white chocolate all over, to create a random criss cross effect.
  2 piping bags filled with a little dark and white chocolate in each
• Press the shards of chocolate to the sides of the cake.
  chocolate shards for side of cake
• The shards don't have to be identical in height, a haphazard look is more effective.