Prep. time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: About an hour in total
Refrigeration time: 3 hours

Making the cake

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon; 
2. beat the egg yolks in a bowl; gradually blend in the melted chocolate, butter and vanilla; 
3. in another bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt; once they begin to hold their shape, gradually incorporate the sugar, whisking constantly until the whites are stiff and shiny; 
4. gently fold the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, deflating the whites as little as possible; 
5. gently fold in the flour in the same way; 
6. butter two round cake pans and line with parchment paper; 
7. pour the batter into the pans; bake in a preheated 180° C (350° F) oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean;
8. cool.

Glaze 

1. In a small saucepan, place the chocolate, cream, sugar and syrup over low heat, stirring until the sugar and chocolate are melted; increase the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes without stirring; to determine whether the mixture is at the proper stage, drop a little bit into some ice water: it should form a soft ball; 
2. in a bowl, beat the egg lightly; blend in 3 tbsp. of the hot chocolate mixture; 
3. add the mixture back into the hot chocolate mixture and stir vigorously; 
4. cook over very low heat until it has thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon;
5. remove from the heat; add the vanilla; cool to room temperature. 

Assembly

1. unmold the two cake layers;
2. brush one with apricot jam; top with the other layer; 
3. place the stacked cakes on a rack set over a plate or baking sheet; 
4. pour the glaze evenly over the cake and wait until it has stopped dripping;
5. refrigerate for at least 3 hours;
6. remove from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving.