This week, as you can see, we’re doing something rather special.

In fact, I don’t even really have a name for it, because it’s a totally new recipe for me. I ended up naming the file on my computer ‘Raspberry Fantastic’ and it sort of stuck.

A few weeks ago, a Danish chef on Twitter posted a photograph of the front cover of a magazine in which he was featured. I’ve no idea what the magazine was, nor what the relevant article was about, because I was just transfixed by the cover.

It was a cake, covered in many different toppings, all random yet somehow cohesive and utterly beautiful.

It looked, I have to admit, very similar to the one right next to this article. I just guessed at what the random blobs and quenelles were, and decided on making one of these incredible cakes for myself.

The base looked chocolate-y, so I went for my wife’s terrific chocolate fudge cake recipe, a good place to start. On top of that I’d guessed there were crunchy meringues, so I added those.

There was also something that looked softer, but the same colour, and I guessed at marshmallow. Again, an easy enough recipe, so on they went!

I wanted a crunchy element, so I added almonds, and then decided I’d like a dark, crisp chocolate-y something, so I added some roasted cocoa cookie pieces, based on a recipe by the great Dan Lepard.

For the fruity elements, I added fresh raspberries, and a tart jelly made from the same fruit, finishing off with a cool dairy element, a simple raspberry Chantilly cream. And, when it all came together, I was incredibly pleased with the results.

It’s a riot of colours, textures and flavours, but works because it’s harmonious.

I’ll never know what that original cake was like, or even if I nailed the recipe, but you’ll agree if you embark on this multi-faceted odyssey, that it doesn’t matter, because nothing makes one happier than just rolling up the sleeves, trying and succeeding.

I’m keeping the words short this week, because, as you can see, there’s a lot to do here. Don’t let it put you off – it really is well worth the effort. But don’t rush into it half-cocked; you need to plan when you’re making each element, and make time.

Things like the meringues and cookies will keep for days, so you can split the effort over a few sessions, and then the final assembly takes only a matter of minutes.

Because there’s cream involved, this must only go on when you’re planning to serve the cake. Otherwise, just leave it off completely and you can then keep the whole thing in a cool place for several hours.

FOR THE CAKE:

90g self-raising flour

25g cocoa powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

75g caster sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

75ml vegetable oil

75ml full-cream milk

¼ tin condensed milk

FOR THE CHOCOLATE FUDGE TOPPING:

¼ tin condensed milk

150g dark chocolate

150g milk chocolate

50g golden syrup

100ml double cream

FOR THE MERINGUES:

2 free-range egg whites

110g refined white caster sugar

FOR THE MARSHMALLOWS:

3 sheets leaf gelatine

150g caster sugar

1 tsp liquid glucose

70ml water

1 small egg white

2 drops vanilla extract

2 tbsps each cornflour and icing sugar, for dusting

A little oil

FOR THE COOKIES:

25g cocoa

60g unsalted butter

100g dark chocolate

225g dark muscovado sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 free-range egg, beaten

125g plain flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

FOR THE RASPBERRY CREAM:

50g fresh raspberries

1 tbsp icing sugar

A splash of lemon juice

200ml whipping cream

FOR THE RASPBERRY JELLY:

400g raspberries

75g unrefined golden caster sugar

200ml water

50ml raspberry liqueur (or cassis)

5 leaves gelatine

EXTRAS:

A handful fresh raspberries

A handful of toasted almonds

Piping bags and nozzles

Plastic sieve

Sugar thermometer

An 8” cake tin

METHOD:

For the cake, line an 8” cake tin and heat the oven to 160ºC / Gas 3. Sift the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl, and stir in the sugar. Whisk the egg, oil and milk with the vanilla and condensed milk until smooth, then add to the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Pour into the tin and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

For the sauce, melt all the ingredients together until smooth, and cool before spooning onto the cake. You may have extra, which will keep for days in the fridge.

For the cookies, line a baking tray with baking parchment and heat the oven to 180ºC / Gas 4. Spread the cocoa on the tray in a layer roughly ½cm thick. Bake the cocoa for about 20-25 minutes until it turns a very dark brown, checking and turning every five minutes or so, to make sure it doesn’t catch. Remove the tray from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Melt the butter and chocolate and pour into a mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar then the vanilla extract, egg, cocoa, flour and bicarb, bringing the mixture together into a stiff dough. Leave to cool and firm up before use. Take small lumps of dough and roll into balls. Place on a tray lined with baking parchment, leaving room for spreading. Bake for 8-10 minutes until they’ve spread slightly and taken on a deep colour. Remove from the oven and leave to set slightly before cooling on a wire rack.

To make the meringues, heat the oven to 150ºC / Gas 2 and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk on low speed for about 2 minutes, until the whites are foamy, then turn the speed up to high and continue whisking until the egg whites reach the stiff-peak stage. Whisk the sugar in on fast speed until you have a stiff and glossy mixture. Pipe in small domes on the lined sheet, pop them on the centre shelf of the oven, reduce the heat to 140°C / Gas 1, and bake for about an hour. Open the oven door, turn off the heat, and leave the meringues to set up until the oven is cold.

For the raspberry jelly, soak the gelatine sheets in cold water as before. Put the raspberries in a pan with the water, liqueur and the sugar. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain through a plastic sieve into a clean pan. Squeeze out the excess water from the gelatine, add to the raspberry mixture and swirl gently until dissolved. Pour into a suitable shallow container. Allow to cool completely and set firm before cutting into cubes.

Now, the marshmallows; soak the gelatine in 50ml cold water, turning occasionally to make sure it gets completely soaked through and jellified. Put the sugar, glucose and water into a heavy-based saucepan. Bring the liquid to the boil and bubble until the mixture reaches 127ºC or hard-ball stage on a sugar thermometer. Remove from the heat, carefully slide in the gelatine and its water and stir to mix. In a mixer, set the egg whites whisking, and when they reach a firm peak, slowly pour in the syrup. The egg will start to become thick and glossy. Add the vanilla extract and continue whisking for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is very stiff and thick enough to hold its shape on the whisk. Oil a wide tray and dust with icing sugar and a little cornflour. Spoon or pipe the marshmallow onto the tray and allow to set up.

For the raspberry cream, squash the raspberries with the sugar and lemon juice in a bowl, then pass through a plastic sieve to make a smooth sauce. Whip the cream to a firm peak, and fold the two mixtures together. Spoon into a piping bag until required.

To assemble the whole thing, place the cake on a suitable plate or stand. Place all the individual elements on top in a pleasant arrangement. Pipe little squirts of raspberry cream here and there. Dot with fresh raspberries and almonds. Dust with icing sugar if you wish.