Chocolate Hedgehog Cake

6oz Butter

6oz Caster Sugar

8oz Self Raising Flour

3 Eggs

4oz / 100g Dark Chocolate

2oz Cocoa Powder

4oz Chocolate chips

1 Tsp Baking Powder

1 Tsp Bi Carbonate of Soda

2 Tbsp Milk

Cooking time: 45 minutes on a pre heated oven of 180c. Half way through cooking you need to cover the sponge with greaseprrof paper

Serving: 8" square spring tin

1. Pre heat the oven and grease proof the cooking tin

2. Place a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and break the chocolate into the bowl and slowly melt on a low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning

3. In a bowl cream together the butter and sugar, do this until the mixture if fully combined

4. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs together for a few minutes

5. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the creamed mixture, using a wooden spoon to scrape around the edges to ensure the mixture is fully combined together

6. Sieve in the flour, baking powder and bi carbonate of soda. Fold this in slowly

7. Once this nearly done, add the melted chocolate, chocolate drops and milk and fold in slowly but firmly so the mixture forms a good chocolately consistency and it is all combined

8. Pour the mixture into the tin and smooth out

9. Put into the oven, about 20 minutes through the baking time, place some greaseproof paper over it and continue to bake.

10. Once done, remove from the oven and remove the sides of the tin, leave to cool before moving the bottom and transferring to a wire cooling rack

Buttercream Icing

1 quantity of the 'perfect buttercream icing' from this website

3oz Cocoa Powder and 1 Tbsp milk

2 Ripple Chocolate Bars

3 Flake Chocolate Bars

Glace Cherries

1. Make the icing as described on this wesbite, but adding 3oz Cocoa powder and 1 Tbsp milk to the mixture.

2. To prepare the cake, cut the cake vertically in half and using a little of the icing, put some on one side of the cake and then stand both of the cakes up on to the flat sides and stick together

3. You will now have a narrow but tall cake

4. At the front you need to cut a slight diagonal shape for the face, slicing a bit of the cake from both sides, to form a point at the end

5. Now cover the whole cake in icing!!!

6. Cut the flake and ripple bars up into strips of chocolate, and then stick them into the icing

7. I put chocolate flake on top of the hedgehog and ripple bars down the sides

8. For the nose, I used a bit of the sponge that was cut from the side and cut it into a square shape

9. For the eyes, cut a cherry in half and place them at the front but more towards the side

10. There you have it one, very chocolately hedgehog cake!!

N.B. This cake went in one sitting as it is so yum!