PINE CONE CAKES

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas4

Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm baking tin; melt the chocolate in a microwave in 30 second bursts; stir until smooth and cool slightly

Sift the flour, cocoa and ½ teaspoon salt into a mixing bowl, then add the softened butter and sugar and beat together with an electric mixer for 2 minutes; in a separate bowl lightly whisk the eggs and mix in the soured cream and vanilla; slowly add this to the mixing bowl, beating until thoroughly mixed, then add the cooled melted chocolate and mix until smooth; scrape into the prepared tin and level out the surface with a palette knife; bake for 30 minutes until firm to the touch and starting to pull away from the sides of the tin

Remove from the oven, cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool on a wire rack

To make the icing, beat the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy; add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat again for 2 minutes; add the double cream and beat for 3 minutes until fluffy

Cut the cake into 16 pine cone shapes; cover the top and sides of each sponge with a generous coating of the whipped buttercream. Then taking one flaked almond at a time, insert a third of the way into the buttercream, working from one end to the other to create a pine cone effect; dust with cocoa powder before serving