Chocolate Easter Cake

Here's a really easy cake recipe which we have turned into an Easter cake!  Ingredients: 50g cocoa powder, 6 tbsp boiling water, 3 large eggs, 50ml milk, 175g self raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 100g butter (at room temp), 275g caster sugar, 2 tbsp apricot jam, 150g dark chocolate (Bourneville is a good one), 150ml double cream, chocolate easter treats to decorate (we used a chocolate rabbit from Thorntons, truffle eggs from Tesco and some mini eggs.

You will also need: a mixing bowl, sieve, scales, an electric whisk, two 20cm sandwich tins, baking paper.  Set the oven to 180 degrees/Gas 4.  Wash your hands.  Grease and line the cake tins.

Next sieve the cocoa into the bowl.  Add the hot water and mix to a paste.  Then add the flour. baking powder, sugar, eggs, milk and butter to the bowl an beat with the whisk until smooth.

Then pour equal amounts into the tins and bake in the oven for 25-30 mins.  Take out of the oven and allow to cool a little in the tins before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Whilst the cakes are cooling you can make the fudgy icing!  Break the chocolate into chunks in a heatproof bowl.

Add the cream and then heat over a pan of simmering water until melted.  Stir to combine.

Leave the icing to cool for about 1 1/2 hours until it is much thicker.  Then warm the jam slightly in the microwave and spread over the top of the cakes.

Then cover each cake with the icing and sandwich together.

Finally decorate with Easter eggs or decorations of your choice.  We are taking our cake to eat at a family Easter lunch tomorrow.  There is still time for you to make one too!