Chilli Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
280g softened butter
280g sugar
5 eggs
225g self-raising flour
115g good cocoa powder
4 tbsp milk
1 mild chilli, de-seeded and very finely chopped

For the Chocolate Buttercream Icing:
50g butter
200g icing sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp milk
grated zest of 1 large orange

For the chocolate sauce:
juice of 1 orange
3 tbsp golden syrup
100g dark chocolate
1 large cayenne pepper, de-seeded and very finely chopped

Method:

Cut the butter into cubes and cream together with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs together then gradually add to the butter mix, combining well after each addition. Add the chopped chilli and beat to combine. Sift together the flour and cocoa then add to the butter mix along with the milk. Beat well to combine thoroughly then divide equally between two greased and lined 20cm springform cake tins. Place in an oven pre-heated to 200°C (180°C/400°/Gas Mark 6) onmouseout="UnTip()">200°C and bake for 20 minutes, until just cooked through. Take out of the oven and allow to cool a little.

For the icing (frosting), cream together the butter, cocoa and icing sugar along with the milk and orange zest until light, fluffy and creamy. When the cakes are cool enough to handle trim the tops with a sharp serrated knife if necessary. Lather the top of once cake with the buttercream icing and sandwich the other cake on top.

Now make the chocolate sauce. Add the golden syrup and orange juice to a small bowl and set in a pan of gently simmering water. Break the chocolate into this mixture and stir until smooth and molten. Stir-in the finely-chopped chilli and mix to incorporated. Cut the cake into segments, liberally coat with the hot chocolate sauce and serve.

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