Valentine's Day Heart-Shaped Cakes

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas mark 4).

Butter and flour the sides of four 10 cm heart shaped tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper.

For the cakes, snap the chocolate into chunks and place in a bowl. Add the milk and sit the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water and heat until the chocolate has melted. (Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the surface of the water.) Set aside to cool slightly.

Beat the butter until very soft then add the caster sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then fold in the melted chocolate.

Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and the bicarbonate of soda, and fold in gently to mix. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean.

Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to sit for five minutes before turning them out of their tins and placing them on a wire rack to cool. When cool slice the cake in half.

For the chocolate butter icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave on High for 1½ minute, stirring halfway or alternatively over a pan of simmering water. Leave to cool. Beat the butter and icing sugar in a large bowl until creamy. Beat in the chocolate until smooth.  Spread the butter icing on the bottom half of the cake and sandwich with the other half.

Mix the fondant icing sugar, following the instructions on pack and add a few drops of pink food colouring until you reached your desired colour then decorate your cakes.