be my valentine

With Valentines just around the corner, I thought it was a good time to whip up a cake and couldn't resist using my new silicone heart shape moulds either! This was the second cake I've ever made (I'm more of a cupcake girl you see!) and I'm so pleased with how well it turned out, even if I did only have a serrated knife to hand to try and smooth - or not - my icing.

The cake ended up perfectly moist and chocolatey, and I honestly haven't been able to make a better icing myself than the Betty Crocker buttercream one. I don't care if it's cheating if it tastes that good! I've been told that this is the best chocolate cake ever, so definitely give it a try if you're baking a cake this Valentines Day!

INGREDIENTS:
175g self-raising flour
3 tbsp 70% cocoa powder
175g butter
175g golden caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1-2 tbsp milk
100g 70% dark chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tub of betty crocker chocolate buttercream icing
2 boxes of cadburys chocolate fingers
a handful of fresh raspberries

DIRECTIONS:

001. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and grease your baking tins.

002. Put all the cake ingredients except the chocolate in a large bowl. Beat them together with an electric whisk (or whizz in a food processor) until you have a creamy mixture, then fold in the melted chocolate. Add a little more milk if the mix is too stiff - it should fall easily from a spoon.

003.Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and level. Bake on the same shelf in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the sponge springs back when pressed. Cool for 5 minutes, turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the paper and cool completely. Cut each in half horizontally so that you have 4 layers altogether.

004. Sandwich the layers together with a little icing, then spread the rest on top and sides before decorating with chocolate fingers and raspberries.

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