Chocolate Love Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
350g brown sugar
275g fine cake flour, sifted
2 tsp baking soda
100g butter, softened
3 eggs
4 dark chocolate squares (the large type, at least 80% cocoa solids)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
250ml sour cream
250ml boiling water
pinch of salt

For the Pink Buttercream:
450g butter, softened
900g icing sugar
1 tbsp milk (or as needed)

Method:

Melt the chocolate either in a microwave over medium heat or in a bain-marie (double boiler) set over barely simmering water.

In the meantime, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl.

Cream together the butter and sugar in a separate bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.

Add the vanilla extract and melted chocolate, beating constantly until thoroughly blended.

Now add the dry ingredients alternately with the sour cream (make certain you start and end with some flour).

Finally stir in the boiling water, then divide the batter evenly between two greased and floured 22cm diameter cake tins.

Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 170°C and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the cakes are springy to the touch and a skewer inserted into their centres emerge cleanly.

Allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

For the buttercream, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until thoroughly blended.

Sit the first cake half on a serving plate or cake stand. Use 1/4 of the buttercream icing mix as a filling, sit the second cake piece on top then cover with the remaining pink icing.

Slice into wedges and serve.

Find more Valentine's day Recipes Here