one 20 cm (8 inch) round cake (we used mud cake, but you could use chocolate cake)
Dark chocolate glaze
250 g (8 oz) dark chocolate,
roughly chopped 125 g (4 oz) unsalted butter,
chopped 2 teaspoons glycerine 2 teaspoons light corn syrup
24 carat edible gold leaf
1 Use a serrated knife to cut the dome off the top of the cake and level the surface. Turn the cake upside down on a wire rack, so that the flat base of the cake becomes the top. Stand the wire rack on a tray, to catch any glaze that may drip.
2 To make the dark chocolate glaze, put the chocolate, butter, glycerine and corn syrup in a small pan. Stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Alternatively you can make the glaze in a heatproof bowl in the microwave oven: melt on High for 1-2 minutes, stirring at 30 second intervals, until smooth.
3 Pour the chocolate glaze over the cake, allowing it to completely cover the side. Leave in a cool place until the glaze has set completely, then carefully lift onto a serving plate or cake board. Use tweezers or a small brush to remove the gold leaf from the sheets and stick randomly over the cake. If the gold leaf won't stick to the glaze, dab a little egg white onto the glaze first, then stick the gold leaf to it.
Ahead of time: The cake can be decorated up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge—allow the cake to return to room temperature before serving.
Slice the domed top off the cake to give a flat surface. Then turn upside down.
Pour the chocolate glaze over the cake, letting it run down to cover the side.
Remove pieces of gold leaf from the sheet with tweezers and stick to the cake.
Note: Edible gold leaf is available from art supply shops and some cake decorating shops. You will need 1-2 sheets for this recipe. You might need
