Chocolate and hazelnut millefeuille cake

Step 1

To make the ganache, tip the milk and 150ml of the cream into a pan and heat gently until simmering. Tip the chocolate into a large bowl with the Nutella, then pour over the hot milk and cream. Leave for 2 minutes, then stir until the chocolate has fully melted and you have a shiny ganache. Cover the surface with baking paper, cool, then chill until cold. This can be made up to two days before serving, if kept in the fridge.

Step 2

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured worksurface until 2-3mm thick, then cut out three 20cm circles. If you like, you can cut any excess pastry into interesting shapes and shards.

Step 3

Put each circle onto its own baking tray lined with baking paper (if you don’t have enough baking trays, just chill the pastry circles until ready to bake). Then for each pastry circle, dust evenly with icing sugar, put a sheet of baking paper on top, and lay another baking tray directly on top of that. Line one of the top trays with baking paper and put the shaped offcuts onto it, if using.

Step 4

Dust with icing sugar and put all the trays into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool on wire racks. These can be made up to two days ahead if kept in an airtight box.

Step 5

To finish the ganache, whip the remaining 200ml of double cream to soft peaks, then fold into the ganache and whisk the mixture for 1 minute – it should be a thick, pipeable consistency. Put into a piping bag with a wide, round nozzle.

Step 6

Put 200ml of double cream into a separate bowl and add 2 tbsp of icing sugar and the Frangelico, if using, then whip to soft peaks.

Step 7

When ready to assemble, put one of the pastry circles onto a cake plate or stand. Pipe half of the ganache onto the pastry base. Top with another pastry disc and pipe on the remaining ganache. Top with the final pastry disc and spoon or pipe on the sweetened, boozy cream.

Step 8

To finish, heat the Nutella in the microwave for 30 seconds to melt slightly, then drizzle it all over. Push in the pastry shards, if using, then use a sharp knife to make some chocolate curls from the dark chocolate. Top the millefeuille with the chocolate curls and hazelnuts.