Chocolate hot milk sponge

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Grease and line a 22 x 7 cm ring or bundt cake tin.

Cream the eggs and caster sugar until light and fluffy.

Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt, then fold into the egg mixture.

Place the milk and butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the vanilla extract. Allow the butter to melt, then stir into the batter.

Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove from the tin and cool. Ice with chocolate drizzle icing.

Cook’s note: This cake can be presented in many ways, from round and bundt to loaf shapes. It can be served with different toppings too, with various forms of icing or chocolate letters

To make chocolate letters to decorate the cake, pipe melted chocolate outlines of letters onto a silicone mat on a baking tray. Fill with chocolate, then chill until set. Carefully remove with a lifter to decorate the cake.

To make cracked chocolate, pour melted chocolate onto a large piece of greaseproof paper and spread evenly. Gently roll up the paper and chill until the chocolate is hard. Carefully unroll to crack the chocolate.

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