Preheat the oven to 160°C, and grease and line a 16cm round cake tin with baking paper.

Whisk the eggs until foamy, then whisk in the melted butter and milk until well combined. Add the cake mix and stir to form a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through when tested with a skewer. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.

While baking the cake, make the coffee soak by combining the strong espresso coffee with the brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar granules. Set aside to cool.

Prepare the mascarpone filling by mixing together the icing sugar and mascarpone until smootha and combined using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer. Add the cream and vanilla and mix until light, fluffy and thickened. Be careful not to overmix or the mascarpone will split. Cover and place the filling in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Once the cake has completely cooled, slice it in half to form two thinner layers. Then, using a spoon, generously soak the two halves of the cake with the cooled coffee. Allow to sit for 5 minutes to soak.

Start assembling the cake by placing a layer of cake on your serving platter and topping it with half the mascarpone filling. Top with the second layer of cake and remaining filling. Keep the assembled cake in the fridge until you’re ready to serve and generously dust the top with cocoa powder just before serving.

Tip: You can add some chopped roasted hazelnuts between the cake layers for an extra element of crunch.