Gorgeous chocolate cake

• By Glorianne Mamo

Glorianne Mamo gives us her recipe for a richly textured chocolate cake that turns tea-time into fun. You can make a children’s version by covering it in Smarties (though grown-ups secretly love the Smarties too).

You will need:

240g of butter, 450g of sugar, three eggs, 180g of self-raising flour, 60g of plain flour, half a teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda, 60g of cocoa, three teaspoonfuls of coffee, half a teaspoonful of red food colouring, 120ml of water, 120ml of milk, 60g of dark chocolate.

Beat 180g of butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Sift the plain and self-raising flour. Transfer the butter-sugar-egg mixture to a large bowl. Fold in the sifted flour, soda and cocoa. Combine the coffee, food colouring, water and milk and stir this into the mixture in the bowl, ensuring that all is combined.  Pour it into 20cm-diameter cake-tin (greased) and bake it in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes.  Leave the cake to cool slightly before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Now combine the chocolate and remaining butter (60g) in a heatproof bowl positioned over a pan of simmering water (bain-marie), stirring it until it is smooth.  Take it off the flame, and when it has cooled to room temperature, spread it over the cake.