Incredible Celebratory Chocolate Cake

In my family, a party isn't really a party without a chocolate cake. There are six grandchildren on my mum's side and we all have a deep love for the stuff. In fact, if it's not my Grandma's Killer Chocolate Cake, then it has to be my version which is this one.

This cake certainly has the wow factor with it's decadent decoration in the form of towering cigarillos and opulent fruit piled on top. The cake itself is wonderfully moist, über chocolatey and it's great served hot or cold. This recipe is super easy as you basically put all the ingredient in a bowl, whizz and bake, and the decoration is simple but effective. Make this cake and you'll make it again and again - I promise!

Incredible Celebratory Chocolate Cake

150g really soft butter,

plus a little extra for greasing

250g caster sugar

150g self-raising flour

125ml sour cream

4 medium eggs (at room temperature)

50g cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

½ vanilla pod (or few drops of vanilla extract to taste)

For the buttercream:

250g/9oz butter, softened

500g/1lb 2oz icing sugar

100g/3½oz good dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)

Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C), 350F, gas mark 4, with the middle shelf at the ready. Grease 2 x 20cm/8in loose-bottomed sandwich cake tins with a little butter, line the bottoms with discs of baking parchment and sit them on a large baking sheet.

Put the butter, sugar, flour, sour cream, eggs, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a large bowl or in a freestanding electric mixer or a food processor. Split the vanilla pod open, scrape out the seeds and add them also (or the vanilla extract). Then mix or blend to give a smooth, soft mixture.

Divide evenly between the cake tins, smooth the tops and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes. To check the cakes are baked, insert a skewer into the middle of each cake and if it comes out clean, then they are ready to come out. Remove them from the oven and leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes before carefully removing and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack (about 25 minutes).

When the cakes are almost cool, start making the buttercream. Break the chocolate into a medium bowl and melt it in the microwave in 30-second blasts, stirring in between. Otherwise, sit the bowl of chocolate on a medium pan of simmering water, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl, as this may make the chocolate grainy. Once melted, allow to cool slightly.

Put the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and whisk together until the mixture goes fluffy. Add the cooled, melted chocolate and whisk for a further two minutes.

Once the cake is completely cool, remove it from the tin. Carefully cut the tops flat with a large serrated knife. (Eat these bits as a chef’s perk!) Place one cake on a 20cm/8in cake board and cover the top with with a 1cm/½in layer of buttercream. Lay the other cake upside on top and sandwich together.

Spread half of the remaining buttercream all over the top and sides of the cake, making it as smooth as possible. Put it in the fridge to set before doing another layer - this makes it much easier to get neat squared-off edges.

Gently push the cigarillos vertically onto the sides of the cake, positioning them as straight as possible and making sure they touch the bottom. Serve with a pile of berries on top, I went for raspberries as they’re my favourite.

P.S. Apologies for the slightly dark photo - I took it mid-party!