So its summer and it hasn’t stopped raining. This calls for one thing - chocolate cake! With words like ‘ultimate’, ‘fudge’ and ‘honeycomb’ I happily tuck my bikini to the back of the draw and get the eggs and butter out of the fridge. Being both indulgent and a chocoholic I usually bake very rich chocolate cakes. This one, however, would be perfect for a children’s party, or indeed for those of you who don’t enjoy the sensation of your mouth being coated with heavy chocolate cake goo (weirdos!). If any of you haven’t purchased Sarah’s book yet, check it out. If you only buy one baking book this summer this is the one I recommend. It has the most beautiful pictures for every recipe and I could find something to bake from it every weekend. When you make the chocolate fudge icing be really careful with the heat - have it really low and be patient with it. Chocolate is really sensitive to temperature changes and extremes. If you want to make your own honeycomb, as Sarah does, use 75g caster sugar, 2 tablespoons of golden syrup and 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda. You put the sugar and golden syrup into a saucepan and heat gently. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Then increase the heat and bubble for 1 minute exactly. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the bicarb (erupting volcano fun) and pour onto baking parchment. However, when I’ve made my family homemade honey comb their response is that it puts them in the mood for a Crunchie! So that is what I used - with the chocolate cut off. And don’t fret about the waste I treated the chocolate bits as a starter…

Reference: Randell, S. (2010) weekend baking, Ryland Peters & Small, London.