Chocolate mud cake

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C (160C for fan forced oven). Grease and line a 20cm round cake tin with baking paper.
2. Combine butter, chocolate, coffee beans and sugar in the top of a double boiler and stir over simmering water until mixture is smooth and melted. Remove from heat and strain mixture using a coarse sieve into the large mixing bowl. Discard beans and allow mixture to cool.
3. Attach the whisk to the stand mixer. Place the flour, cocoa and baking powder into the mixing bowl, mix on speed 2 until well combined. Remove mixture from the bowl, and set aside. Wipe out the bowl with a clean tea towel* (see tip 3).
4. Attach the flat beater to the mixer, add cream and chocolate mixture and mix on speed 2 until incorporated. Scrape down sides of bowl regularly with a spatula.
5. Add eggs, one at a time, with the motor running and mix until combined. Turn off mixer, add dry flour / cocoa mixture and mix on speed 1 until well combined. Do not over mix.
6. Pour mixture into prepared pan and smooth surface with a spatula. Bake on middle shelf of oven for 1 hour, or until skewer comes out clean when tested. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before glazing cake.
7. Prepare the Dark Chocolate Glaze: Combine chocolate, sugar and cream in a medium-sized saucepan and stir over low heat until smooth. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly until sugar has dissolved.
8. To decorate cake with the glaze: Place a large tray under cooling rack and cake and pour glaze over whole cake. Let the glaze pour down the sides of the cake to cover completely. Allow glaze to set before decorating with strawberries or chocolate curls.