Ingredients

Step by step

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C, gas 4. Butter the sides and the base of a 23cm springform cake tin. Make sure the base is upside down, so that there's no lip and the cake can slide off easily when cooked.
2. To make the base, place the flour and sugar in a bowl, then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Mix in the pecans, then form a soft dough. Press evenly into the cake tin. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until golden. Leave the base in the tin and place on a wire rack to cool.
3. Meanwhile, make the chocolate layer. Sift the cornflour, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt into a bowl, then add the sugar and mix well. Add the egg yolks and milk; whisk together. Transfer to a saucepan, place on a medium heat and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture boils and becomes very thick. It is at the right thickness when it holds a figure of eight traced into the surface. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and vanilla extract, then set aside to cool, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin forming.
4. Now make the creamy layer. Whisk the cream in a bowl until quite stiff. In a separate large bowl, beat the cream cheese and icing sugar together until soft, then fold in the cream.
5. To assemble, use a dessertspoon to blob all the cream cheese mix onto the biscuit base. Smooth it out a bit, then blob on the chocolate mix. Swirl with the handle of a teaspoon for a marbled effect, then place in the fridge to set. This should take a few hours or could be done overnight.
6. To serve, unclip the sides of the tin and remove. Using a palette knife or fish slice, slide the cake off the tin base onto a serving plate.