Chocolate and meringue cream layer cake

Method

• 1
  Preheat oven to 140C/120C fan forced. Grease two deep 17.5cm round pans and line with baking paper.
• 2
  Combine the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Add the water and microwave on High for 1-2 minutes or until melted and smooth. Cool slightly.
• 3
  Combine sugar, flours and cocoa in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add condensed milk, yoghurt and eggs. Gradually whisk until just combined. Add half the chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Add remaining chocolate mixture, whisking until smooth. Divide the mixture evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean. Cool in pans for 20 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• 4
  Meanwhile, to make meringue kisses, preheat oven to 120C/100C fan forced. Line 3 baking trays with baking paper. Use electric beaters to beat egg white and cream of tartar in a clean, dry bowl until firm peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tbs at a time, beating constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture is thick and glossy. Carefully stand 3 piping bags, fitted with a 1cm plain and two 1cm star nozzles, upright in tall glasses. Use a small paintbrush to very lightly paint 5cm-long stripes of pink and purple food colouring paste into the bags. Divide the meringue mixture between bags, carefully spooning into each bag. Pipe plain and star-shaped meringues of different sizes onto prepared trays (the colours will vary the more you pipe). Sprinkle with edible glitter. Bake for 25 minutes until crisp and dry. Turn oven off and leave meringues to cool in the oven with the door ajar
• 5
  To make icing, combine the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a small pan of lightly simmering water. Gently stir with a wooden spoon until sugar has dissolved. Be careful not to scramble egg. Transfer egg white mixture pretty fancy to the small bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on high until mixture forms soft peaks. Add one piece of butter at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue until all the butter is added and the mixture is thick and creamy with a silky texture.
• 6
  To assemble the cake, trim the domes from the top of each cake, then cut each cake into 3 horizontal layers. Place 1 layer on a cake board or serving plate. Spread with a thin layer of the meringue icing. Top with another layer of cake, then the icing. Repeat the layering and finish with the final layer of cake. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining icing in a thin, smooth layer.
• 7
  Combine dark chocolate and extra butter in a heatproof bowl. Microwave on High for 1-2 minutes or until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Pour entire mixture over top of cake, working quickly with a palette knife to spread to the edges. Tap cake gently on the work bench, so that the chocolate slowly drips down the side. Leave for at least 30 minutes to set.
• 8
  Decorate the cake with the meringue kisses, cachous and sprinkles.