Make cocoa powder slurry - Add the cocoa powder and hot milk into a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Mix dry ingredients and eggs - To a medium sized, heavy bottomed stainless-steel pot (not non-stick), add the corn starch, sugar and salt and use a whisk to combine. Add the egg yolks and a little splash of the milk and whisk until smooth.

Add the milk - Slowly add the milk, about ⅓ of it at a time, and whisk each time until all the milk has been added.

Cook pastry cream - Place the pot on medium heat. Use a hand whisk to continuously whisk. Do not stop mixing or the pastry cream will become grainy. After about 3-4 minutes the mixture will begin to thicken. Continue whisking until the mixture begins to bubble. When it bubbles, whisk for 30 seconds, then take off the heat.

Add butter - Add ¼ of the butter and both vanillas and whisk until the butter is melted and well combined. Repeat until all the butter has been added.

Divide the pastry cream - Add 600g of the vanilla pastry cream into a medium sized heatproof bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Allow to cool at room temp and then place in the fridge for 4 hours to set.

To make the chocolate pastry cream and set - Add the cocoa powder slurry and dark cooking chocolate to the pot and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Transfer to a separate mixing bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap. Allow to cool at room temp for 30 minutes. Then transfer to the fridge to set for 4-5 hours or overnight.

Whisk to smoothen - Give the pastry cream a whisk to smoothen it out again.

Preparing your oven - Preheat your oven to 165C / 330F (fan off), 145C / 300F (fan on).

Preparing your cake tin - Rub cold butter on the bottom (not sides) of three 20cm / 8-inch cake tins and line the bottom (not sides) with baking paper.

Combine dry ingredients - Run the flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt through a sieve into a large mixing bowl. Use a whisk to combine and create a little well in the center.

Make the meringue - Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to your mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to whisk on medium high speed for 1 minute until frothy. Then, while the mixer is still running, slowly add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time.

Add water, egg yolks and oil to dry ingredients - Add the water, vegetable oil and egg yolks to the bowl with the dry ingredients and use the whisk to combine until smooth and no lumps are showing.

Fold meringue into batter - Add ⅓ of the meringue into the egg yolk mixture and use a balloon whisk or spatula to fold through until the batter is uniform.

Bake - Carefully distribute the cake batter into the three cake tins. Bake them in the middle rack of your oven for 25 minutes or until lightly golden.

To cool - Once baked, take the cakes out of the oven and flip over onto a cooling rack.

Taking out of the tin - Once cooled, run a knife around the inside of the cake tins to loosen and turn the tins upside down to let the cakes gently come out of the tin onto your work bench.

Trimming the cake - Use a serrated edge cake leveler or serrated knife to trim the top of each cake off so that each cake layer is about 1 ½ cm in height.

While the cakes are cooling, make the syrup - Add the granulated sugar and water into a medium sized pot. Place on high heat and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling let it continue for 1 minute. Then turn the heat off and add the rum or vanilla extract.

Prepare your cake tin again - To encourage an easy release of your layered cake, line the bottom and sides with two layers of plastic wrap.

Cake, simple syrup and vanilla pastry cream - Place your first layer of cake into your lined cake tin and brush lightly with simple syrup. Then add the vanilla pastry cream and spread evenly.

Chocolate pastry cream - Repeat this process with the next cake layer and add all the chocolate pastry cream. Spread evenly. Add the final layer of cake and brush with simple syrup.

Chill the cake (very important!) - Cover the top of the cake with plastic wrap and let it set in the fridge for 4 hours.

Spread the almonds on a large baking tray and bake at 180C / 340F (fan off), 150C / 300F (fan on) for 6-8 minutes until lightly golden.

Make slurry - To a small bowl, add the corn starch to half the water (90g) and stir until well combined.

Make syrup - Add the sugar, remaining water (90g) and glucose syrup into a small pot. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to low.

Finish glaze - Add the slurry to the syrup and mix using a spatula. Mix until everything is combined and the mixture thickens and becomes translucent.

To coat strawberries (right before topping) - Dip your cleaned and well dried whole strawberries into the cooled glaze and allow as much excess to drip off as you can.

Prepare mascarpone cheese - Add the mascarpone to a large mixing bowl and use a spatula to stir and break up as some brands can be firmer than others.

Whip remaining ingredients - Add the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla to the mascarpone. Whip to stiff peaks.

Transfer cake to serving plate - Unwrap the top of the cake while its still in the cake tin. Place a serving plate on top and flip them both over.

Cover in cream - Add the Chantilly to a piping bag and pipe it on the sides and top to get a nice even cover.

Add chocolate message - Add the chocolate message on top of the cake now to make things easier.

Add toasted almonds - scoop up some of the toasted almonds in your hand and encourage them to gently stick to the sides of the cake.

Swirl more cream and add strawberries - Add the remaining cream to a piping bag fitted with an open star tip and pipe swirls on top of the cake. Then add the coated strawberries on top to finish.