Chocolate and Almond Cake

4oz Butter

4oz Caster Sugar

4oz Plain Chocolate (Melted)

4 Eggs (Separated)

2oz Self Raising Flour

1Tsp Baking Powder

4oz Ground Almonds

Cooking time: 50 minutes on a preheated oven of 160c

Serving: 7" square tin

1. Pre heat the oven and grease the baking tin

2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water

3. In a bowl whisk together the butter until it has doubled in volume

4. Slowly whisk in the sugar into the butter unto it is all creamed together.

5. Whisk in the melted chocolate into the creamed mixture (use a spatula to get all the chocolate into the bowl)

6. Add all the 4 yolks from the eggs and whisk into the mixture for a few minutes on a high speed

7. Add the ground almonds, flour and baking powder and fold in slowly and smoothly into the mixture unto it is fully combined

8. In a separate bowl whisk the 4 edd whites together unto they are stiff this can take up to 5 minutes on a high speed

9. Slowly add the egg whites to the mixture a bit at a time and slowly fold in with a metal spoon. Be gentle here as you do not want to loose the air

10. Once all combined pour into the tin and pop in the oven

11. Half way through the cooking tin, cover the cake with greaseproof paper so it does not burn

12. Remove from the oven when golden / 50 minutes (unsure it is cooked through by putting a knife in it and making sure it comes out clean)

Buttercream and Decoration

4oz Butter (Softened)

2Tsp Milk

12oz Icing Sugar

1Tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 Chocolate Flake

Glace Cherries

1. Cream the butter ina bowl with a fork and then whisk to soften

2. In batches slowly sieve in the icing sugar (Do not add it all at once, add a bit at a time. Between each batch whisk the mixture for 2-3 minutes with a whisk, this makes the icing nice and fluffy and light)

3. Once you have whisked in all the icing sugar sieve in the cocoa powder and add the milk

4. Mix this in with a fork and then whisk with the whisk on a high speed for 4-5 minutes

5. Once the cake is cool, cover the cake with the buttercream

6. Chop some glace cherries in quarters and cut up a flake to sprinkle on top

N.B. Between adding each bath of icing sugar, I always mix it with a fork before then mixing, otherwise the icing sugar goes everywhere