Peppermint Chocolate Cake

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a simple chocolate cake, but now and again I cannot resist experimenting with more unusual chocolatey combinations, be it floral, fruity or even fiery. This time I've marbled a dark chocolate and vanilla with peppermint infused white chocolate to create a fiendishly fudgy beast, with notes of caramel, almonds and of course peppery mint. It's a real eye-widener of a cake which delights, intrigues and will have your lucky friends and family bounding back for seconds and thirds!

Prep time: 25 Mins
Baking time: 40-45
150g unsalted butter
100g Dark Chocolate
100g White Chocolate
85g Soft Dark Brown Sugar
85g Light Muscovado Sugar
3 Large Eggs (Beaten)
1tsp Peppermint Extract
1tsp Vanilla Extract
150g Ground Almonds
1tsp Baking Powder
2tbsp Plain Flour

Ready... Steady... Go! Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4, grease a 20cm loaf tin and line with baking paper.

Next, you will need to dig out two large heatproof bowls. Melt together half of the butter with the dark chocolate in one and in the other, the rest of butter with the white chocolate. You can do this over a bain-marie or in the microwave. When they have both melted together and are smooth and silky set to one side to cool slightly.

Add the dark brown sugar to the dark chocolate and the light muscovado sugar to the white chocolate. Follow this with half of the beaten egg into each, then mix together. To the dark chocolate mixture pour in the vanilla extract and to the white chocolate, peppermint extract. Sprinkle half of the ground almonds into each, then half of the baking powder, then finally a tablespoon of flour per bowl. That should be all of the ingredients gone so fold each mixture together until evenly combined. The smells from each bowl will be nothing short of heavenly!

Blob half of the dark chocolate mixture into your prepared tin, then half of the white chocolate mixture. Repeat for both, then take a flat bladed knife and draw swirls to create a marbled pattern. Bake in the centre of the oven for around 40-45 minutes, until a metal skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out slightly sticky with crumbs, then remove and leave to cool completely in the tin.

To serve, carefully remove from the tin, peeling off the paper. Slice into big chunks and share...