With that warning out the way: This cake is worth that added effort to make and is simply stunning.

Ingredients

Method

Let's first make the cake batter so we can start building up the layers

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks until thick and creamy

In another bowl, whisk the sugar and butter together until creamy and combined and then add in the lemon zest and vanilla extract and the whisked egg yolks. Mix to combine and then add in the plain flour and cornflour. Give it another good mix

Final bowl, whisk the egg whites as these will make the batter light and fluffy and also help to bake faster. They need to be soft peaks. When ready, incorporate a few tablespoons of whites into the egg yolk/butter batter to loosen and then fold the remaining in

Now time to prepare the filling

Add the Apricot to a small pan with the water and pop onto the hob over a low heat. You just want to melt the jam and loosen it with the water. Done

Prepare a 20 cm springform tin or even a 2 lb loaf tin by popping a cut piece of greaseproof paper in the base and lightly oiling the sides to stop the batter sticking.

Let's make a start...

LAYER 1: Spoon in some of the batter mixture to the spring form tin and spread it out until you have a thin covering. Give it a few shakes and knocks to level it and reach the edges

Place the tin with the batter layer carefully under the grill; as close to the grill elements as you can get it and let it bake for a few minutes until it colours. Not too dark and not too light coloured either - going for a golden brown as if it's too light you won't see the layers when you slice it.

This should take about 2 minutes. If it seems to be taking longer; try to increase the grill heat or see if you can get the springform tin closer to the grill elements. If it takes longer to bake then you run a risk of drying out the cake.

When it's golden brown; remove from the grill. That's layer number one of the batter completed!

Using the apricot filling; lightly brush the layer of baked cake with a very thin layer of filling and then spoon in some more batter as we did in the first step.

Repeat this process until you've made a 20 layer cake. It's a tad labourious I know but the end product is so worth the effort!

When you've finally made the 20 layers, let the cake rest and cool for about 10 minutes in the tin before carefully removing it and letting it rest on a wire rack to fully cool. At this point; I crack open a beer/wine to celebrate that the hard part is over and the rest is simple

Now time to prepare the Apricot Glaze which will help the chocolate layer stick to the cake and also give it a fruity punch. Simply melt the jam in a pan on the hob.

When the cake is fully cooled down, brush the Apricot glaze over the tops and sides

Almost there now and all that remains is to give the cake it's chocolate glaze

Melt the butter in a pan with the Golden Syrup and Vanilla Extract over a hign heat until all melted togther at which point take off the hob and leave for a feew minutes to cool

After the butter mix has cooled a bit; add in the chocolate and mix well until it's fully melted and combined. At this point it's still probably too hot and not sticky enough to pour over the cake itself so keep an eye on it. It should still be pourable but not too runny or else it won't stick to the cake

Put a sheet of greaseproof paper under your wire racking to collect any of the glaze that falls off

When the glaze has reached the right temperature; pour over the top of the cake making sure to cover completely. The glaze should run down the sides of the cake as well and if you have any bare patches; use the glaze that has dripped onto the greaseproof paper

Let the glaze cool and set for a few mintes and then pop into the fridge

About 10 minutes before you want to serve; remove the cake from the fridge so it warms up closer to room temperature and becomes less "firm"

I hope you enjoy it!