Name: Black velvet baby cakes
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Makes 6
Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients: 100g softened butter plus extra for greasing; 175g light brown soft sugar; 1 egg; 100g self-raising flour; 50g ground almonds; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 5 tbsp cocoa plus a little extra for decorating; 150ml Irish stout; 200ml double cream; 25g icing sugar; splash champagne (optional)

100g softened butter
plus extra for greasing
175g light brown soft sugar
1 egg
100g self-raising flour
50g ground almonds
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
5 tbsp cocoa
plus a little extra for decorating
150ml Irish stout

For the cream

200ml double cream
25g icing sugar
splash champagne
(optional)

Method

step 1
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the bases of 6 dariole moulds with baking parchment. Put the butter, sugar, egg, flour, ground almonds, bicarbonate, cocoa and stout in a mixing bowl. Beat together until lump-free. Divide between the tins then bake for 20-25 mins until risen and a skewer poked in comes out clean. Cool for 15 mins, then remove from tins and cool completely – the same way up they baked, don’t turn upside-down.
step 2
Whip cream with the icing sugar and splash of Champagne, if using, until thick. Spoon a dollop onto the top of each cake and dust with a touch of cocoa. Serve with glasses of Champagne or Black Velvets for pudding.