Spread – armed, ideally, with a bendy spatula and a small offset spatula – the icing about 1cm thick, taking it right out to the very edges of the circle ... Leave the cake plain or decorate ...

Using a small 4cm/1½in round cutter, cut out small circles from the cake trimmings and push them into the base of the cake rings. For the dark chocolate mousse, place the chocolate in a bowl set ...