Instructions

To make the mud cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/320F. Grease three 8" round cake tins.
2. Add butter, water and espresso to medium saucepan and bring to a boil on a medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in kahlua or tia maria. Add chopped chocolate and stir until melted.
3. Sift flours, cocoa, sugar, bicarb and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in eggs, oil, buttermilk and chocolate mixture. Beat with a wooden spoon until all combined.
4. Pour equal amounts into each cake tine and bake for 60 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
5. Cool on a wire rack.

To make the SMBC:

1. Put the egg whites and sugar in a large, heatproof bowl and whisk together. Bring a large saucepan with a couple of inches of water to a boil and place the bowl on top and whisk the eggs, heat until 150F and the sugar is dissolved.
2. Remove from heat and whisk the eggs on a medium speed for about 10 minutes, until the outside of the bowl is warm to touch. Continue whisking on a lower speed until completely cooled.
3. Turn the speed back up to medium and add a piece of butter one at a time, beating for at least 5 seconds inbetween each addition. Continue beating until smooth and glossy, don't worry if the mixture separates towards the end, keep beating and it'll come back together.
4. Beat in the vanilla and colouring (if using), separate into bowls if doing more than one colour.

To make the raspberry sauce:

1. Put the raspberries, lemon juice and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to boil on a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in liquor. Leave to cool completely.

To make the white chocolate ganache:

1. Put the finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
2. Bring the cream to a gentle boil in a small saucepan, on a medium heat. Pour half of the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Pour the rest over and stir until melted and smooth. Separate into bowls and add a couple drops of food colouring and stir, use rainbow colours or any colours you like.

To make the white chocolate candy bark:

1. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until melted and smooth.
2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the melted chocolate out in a thin layer over the tray. Sprinkle nerds over the top. Pop in the freezer for three hours. Use a knife to score the bark and snap into pieces.

To Assemble:

1. Place one cake layer on your serving stand/plate. Spread a thin layer of SMBC on top and spoon a few tablespoons of raspberry sauce on top and spread out. Place another cake layer on top and repeat. Add the third layer.
2. Spread a thin layer of SMBC around the sides of the cake, this is called a crumb coat and will help you cover the cake smoothly. Leave in a cool place for 20 minutes.
3. Spread the rest of the SMBC over the sides and top and smooth.
4. Press spinkles around the bottom of the cake, don't worry about making a mess!
5. Spoon the ganache on the edges of the cake and allow some to drip down. Pour the rest on top of the cake.
6. Now it's time to decorate, stick lollipops on the top, press bark shards into the top and scatter with gumballs, nerds and whatever you like!