Easter Lemony Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
200g (1 cup) margarine, softened
200g (1 cup) caster sugar
3 eggs
180g (1 1/2 cups) self-raising flour
25g (3 tbsp) cocoa powder
60g (1/2 cup) ground almonds
finely-grated zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 tbsp milk

For the Fudge Icing:
120g (1 cup) icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla sugar
30g (1/4 cup) dark cocoa powder
1 tbsp runny honey
1½ tbsp milk
50g (4 tbsp) butter
2 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

Cream together the margarine and sugar until pale and fluffy then add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly to combine after each addition. Sift the flour into a bowl then fold into the creamed mixture, along with the cocoa powder, lemon zest and ground almonds.

Work in the lemon juice then add enough of the milk to slacken the batter.

Thoroughly grease a 25cm (9 in) diameter springform cake tin. Turn in the cake mix and even out the top. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180ºC (375ºF) and bake for 40 minutes, or until the cake is cooked through and a skewer inserted into the centre emerges cleanly.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then tun out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare the icing by sifting the icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients (except the lemon juice) into a small saucepan and stir over gentle heat with a wooden spoon until the butter has melted. Whisk in the lemon juice and continue heating until the mixture is almost boiling. Pour this immediately onto the sugar and cocoa mixture and stir this with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes smooth. Allow to cool then beat briskly with a spoon until the icing achieves a fairly stiff consistency.

Finish the cake by covering the top and sides with the fudge icing. Decorate with candied Easter eggs around the rim and set a chocolate Easter bunny in the centre.

This cake makes an excellent accompaniment to coffee.