GOOEY & GORY CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH LITTLE RED DEVILS

Serves 12

l 375g (13oz) butter, softened

l 375g (13oz) caster sugar

l 1tbsp ‘Christmas red’ concentrated food paste colouring

l 1tsp vanilla bean paste

l 3 medium eggs, beaten

l 300ml (10fl oz) Greek yoghurt

l 2tsp lemon juice

l 300g (10½oz) plain flour

l 25g (1oz) cocoa powder

l 2tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the icing

l 250g (9oz) butter, softened

l 350g (12oz) icing sugar, sifted

l 200g (7oz) white chocolate,

roughly chopped

For the ‘glass’ shards

l 200g (7oz) clear boiled mint

sweets (such as Fox’s)

For the raspberry drizzle

l 400g (14oz) raspberries

l 35g (1¼oz) icing sugar

To decorate

l 3-4 large strawberries

l 3-4 raspberries

l A few sugar eyeball cake

decorations (try Waitrose)

l A small paintbrush

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Lightly butter and line the base of 3 x 20cm sponge cake tins with a circle of baking parchment. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the red food colouring and mix well. Gradually beat the vanilla and eggs in, adding a little flour if the mixture begins to curdle. Beat in the yoghurt and lemon juice. Sieve together the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda then fold into the mixture until well combined.

Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes, until firm to the touch in the centres. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely

Meanwhile, make the filling. Beat the butter and icing sugar until pale and creamy. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over gently simmering water, then beat into the icing. Allow to cool and thicken, if necessary.

To make the glass shards, line a baking tray with non-stick baking parchment, put the mint sweets in the centre and bake for 5-7 minutes, until melted. Leave to cool and harden.

To make the raspberry drizzle, place 200g of the raspberries and the icing sugar in a small pan and cook for 1 minute, then press through a sieve into a bowl. Place the juice back into the pan and boil for 3-4 minutes, until it is reduced and the consistency is a little syrupy. Leave to cool.

To decorate, drizzle 2 cakes with 2tbsp of the raspberry drizzle, then spread both with a thick layer of the icing and top with the remaining 200g of raspberries. Place one cake on top of the other, with the final plain cake on top. Spread the top and sides with a very thin layer of icing to seal the crumbs in. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes then, using a palette knife, spread the remaining icing evenly around the top and sides of the cake.

Break up the ‘glass’ shards and push into the top and sides of the cake. Flick the remaining raspberry drizzle all over the cake using a small paintbrush. Push sugar eyes into the hulled berries then arrange on top just before serving the cake.