World-Champion Pâtissier's Chocolate Cake / équilibre Junji Tokunaga & Moe Takahashi

Lightly oil a 12cm round cake pan, line the sides with parchment, and lay 2 layers of parchment on the bottom.

Melt the chocolate over a hot-water bath to about 60°C.

Heat the cream over medium heat to just before boiling. Add granulated sugar to a separate pot in 3 batches and cook over medium heat to make caramel. Once melted, mix it all together.

Once the caramel deepens in color, take it off the heat and add the warmed cream in 3 batches, stirring as you pour.

Add the room-temperature butter to the caramel and stir to melt; aim for the caramel temperature around 45°C.

Add the room-temperature whole eggs to the 60°C melted chocolate all at once and stir from the center outward without aerating.

Match the temperatures of the caramel and chocolate (about 45°C) and combine them into a single batter.

Add the sifted cake flour to the batter and fold gently from the bottom with a spatula until uniform.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan (about 350g) and tap lightly to release large air bubbles.

Place the pan in a water bath and bake in a preheated 135°C / 275°F oven for about 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven, cool to room temperature for about 15 minutes, then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.

Once chilled, peel away the side and bottom parchment and unmold carefully.

For decoration, warm a metal tray and the chocolate to about 50°C each. Spread the chocolate thinly and evenly. Refrigerate for 3 hours, then bring back to room temperature for 30 minutes.

On a damp-cloth-anchored tray, scrape the chocolate with a knife to make assorted ruffled chocolate shavings, and arrange them on the cake's sides and top.