Ingredients

Cake

- 200 g butter, softened

- 2 cups white sugar

- 4 eggs

- 1 1/2 cups flour

- teaspoon baking powder

- 3 heaped tablespoons of cocoa powder

- 3/4 cup boiling water

- Teaspoon instant coffee powder

Coating

- 120ml whipping cream

- 100g Dark chocolate

Marzipan for decoration (look the recipe here)

Make the coffee with 3/4 cup of boiling water with a teaspoon of instant coffee. Separate the egg yolks and save the whites aside.

Beat the butter with 1 1/2 cup of the sugar until it becomes a light cream.

Stir the egg yolks inside the butter-sugar. Alternately add the dry and the liquid ingredients.

Dry: flour with the cocoa and baking powder. Liquid: coffee. Add both alternately and stir until uniform.

Beat the egg whites with 1/2 cup sugar until it becomes a stable foam.

Fold in the chocolate cream. Spread butter in a oven pan.

Add the chocolate cream. Bake in an oven preheated to 170°C (340F) until a skewer comes out clean. About 40-50 minutes (check after 35 min).

Let the cake cool at room temperature. When possible take out from the pan and place up side down on a grid. Melt the chocolate in the whipping cream in the microwave and let it cool for few min.

Spread the chocolate on the cake with a spatula, covering also the border. Transfer the cake on a serving plate and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Make the marzipan and color it as you like (look the recipe here). This cake was for a30th Bday of Federico and Silvia: on a baking paper mark the circle of the cake using the empty cake pan to have an idea of the dimentions. Make the marzipan flat with a rolling pin (if it's too sticky use some powdered sugar) and cut the letters you want. When you are satisfied with your design transfer it on the cake pressing gently the parkipan on the chocolate. We use some chocolate mixture for the coating to write the names on the cake. Keep refrigerated until an hour before to eat. Serve cold.