Simple Chocolate and Orange Heart Cake

It's autumn time and you know what that means.... work and school have begun, but don't worry because i'm here to offer you some comfort, in the form of food, which is obviously the best comforter. 

When I think of chocolate cake, I always imagine that scene in Matilda, which I think most of us are like when we drown our sorrows or nerves with cake:

Right, on to the recipe: 

Ingredients: 

• 200g margarine or softened butter
• 200g brown sugar (preferably muscovado) 
• 3 eggs
• 170g self raising flour (sifted)
• 50g cocoa powder (sifted) 
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1tsp vanilla extract 
• 1tbsp milk
• pinch of salt
• 1 & 1/2 orange rind (leave the other half for the top of the cake)

Icing: 

• 170g icing sugar
• 50g butter or margarine
• juice of half an orange (or a little more depending on the consistency) 
• 25g cocoa powder

1. Preheat your oven to gas mark 4, 180C

2. Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth

3. Gradually add the 3 eggs and whisk

4. Add the vanilla extract and salt and mix

5. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth

6. Gradually add the flour and stir until combined

7. Add the orange rind and depending on the consistency, the milk too

8. Stir in the baking powder until it is distributed among the mix

9. Put into the oven and bake for 45 - 1 hour or until the mix comes out clean on a knife

10. Leave to cool

11. Whilst cooling whisk the icing sugar and margarine together until creamy

12. Sift the cocoa powder in 

13. Add the orange juice until there is a moderately thick constancy that you can spread

14. Whisk until smooth

15. Spread the icing around the whole cake, edges included

16. Place the left over orange peel on top

There you have it, an easy orange and chocolate cake, which I happily think tastes like a terry's chocolate orange, Enjoy xx