Chocolate Heart Cake

Ingredients

180g/6 oz soft butter
180g/6 oz caster sugar
18-g / 6 oz self raising flour
30g/1 oz cocoa powder
3 large eggs
2 tbsp milk

Filling
200 ml double cream
150g / 5 oz  raspberries

Icing
100g / 4 oz dark chocolate
30g / 1 oz unsalted butter
2 tbsp raspberry jam

Method

Preheat the oven to 160 fan / 180 C / 350F/ Gas 4.  Grease and line the base of an 8” (20 cm) heart shaped (or round) sandwich tin.

Mix together  all of the cake ingredients into a bowl using an electric whisk until smooth. Spoon into the tin and level the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes until well risen and shrinking away from the sides of the tin. Remove from the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

To make the filling, whisk the cream until stiff, then fold in the raspberries and spread over the bottom half of the cake. Slice the cooled cake  in half through the middle and spread the cream mixture over the bottom half.. Put the top layer on top of the cream and press down.

For the icing, melt the jam in a saucepan until runny and then spread over the top of the cake.

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water, then leave to cool and thicken slightly.

Spread over the top of the cake but not down the sides. Leave to set for 1 hour, then serve with pouring cream if you like.

This could also be made in an 8” round tin.