Esterházytorte

Step 1: Make the custard first: heat 1 ¾ cups milk with 1 vanilla pod until steaming. Whisk 4 egg yolks, 3 ⅛ oz caster sugar and 1 ¼ oz cornflour, pour in the hot milk while whisking, then return to the pan and stir over a medium heat until it boils and turns very thick, about 2 minutes. Press cling film on the surface and cool to room temperature.

Step 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan). Draw six 24 cm circles on sheets of baking paper and turn them over onto baking trays.

Step 3: Whisk 8 egg whites with 1 pinch salt to soft peaks, then add 7 oz caster sugar gradually and whisk to a stiff, glossy meringue. Mix 7 oz ground almonds with 1 tbsp cornflour and fold in gently until even.

Step 4: Spread the meringue thinly and evenly over the six circles, about 4 mm thick. Bake two at a time for 10–12 minutes, until light golden and dry to the touch. Slide the paper onto a rack, trim each layer round with a knife while warm, then peel off once cool.

Step 5: Beat 8 oz unsalted butter for 4 minutes until very pale, then beat in the cooled custard a spoonful at a time. Both must be at the same room temperature, or the cream curdles.

Step 6: Stack the layers with an even spread of buttercream between each, keeping the best layer for the top, upside down so it is flat. Spread the rest of the cream thinly round the sides. Chill for 1 hour.

Step 7: Brush the top thinly with 3 tbsp apricot jam. Mix 7 oz icing sugar and 3 tbsp lemon juice into a thick, smooth icing that flows slowly, and spread it over the top.

Step 8: Straight away, pipe parallel lines of melted 1 ⅜ oz dark chocolate 2 cm apart across the wet icing. Draw a skewer through the lines at right angles, alternating direction each time, to make the feathered pattern.

Step 9: Press 1 ¾ oz flaked almonds round the sides. Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight before cutting with a hot knife.