Lisa Faulkner's Chocolate Orange Frangipane Christmas cake

Lisa Faulkner's Chocolate Orange Frangipane Christmas cake is a great Christmas dessert, a little twist from the usual but still festive with the mandarins.

Chocolate Orange Frangipane Christmas CakeServes: 6Prep: 10 minutesCook: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients:200g salted butter, softened200g caster sugar3 large eggs50g cocoa powder150g ground almonds1 tsp orange extract1 tin mandarins in syrup (drained)150ml double cream whipped and put into a piping bag with a star nozzle or just use a tin of spray cream!Chocolate orange or orange chocolate, to grate (optional)

Method:1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4.2. Grease a 20cm fluted tart tin, but any 20cm shallow sandwich tinwill do.3. Either in a stand mixer or with an electric whisk beat the butterand sugar together until pale, add the eggs one at a time then thecocoa powder and ground almonds. Stir through the orangeextract.4. Spoon the mixture into the tart tin and arrange the drainedmandarins on top.5. Bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until a skewerinserted comes out clean.6. When the cake has cooled enough to take out of the tin place on alovely serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature and pipedouble cream stars around the edge of the cake. If liked, sprinklewith grated chocolate orange or orange chocolate.