Chocolate Ganache Valentine's Cake

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160*fan 
2. Grease and line 2 x 8” round tins
3. Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy and light. Place all dried ingredients into a large bowl, then add butter and sugar mixture, vanilla, eggs and buttermilk and mix well. Add cooled coffee and mix well.
4. Divide mixture between two tins and bake for 35-40 minutes until springy to touch, or when a skewer poked in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn onto a cooling rack to cool. 
5. While sponges are cooking, make the ganache. Put cream in a pan and heat until just beginning to boil then pour over chopped chocolate in a bowl. Leave for a couple of minutes before stirring to a silky ganache, pop in fridge and leave to cool until ganache is thick enough to spread.
6. In a bowl over a pan of simmering water, add chocolate and stir until melted.
7. Dip strawberries into chocolate, and scatter with freeze dried strawberry pieces and leave to set on a baking sheet or some baking paper.
8. Place one sponge onto a plate or cake stand, and spread a good layer of ganache all over. Top with other sponge, then spread ganache over the top and around the sides of the cake, reserving a little to pipe on top. Smooth with a knife or palette knife. 
9. Decorate top with chocolate dipped strawberries, sliced strawberries, edible flowers and a scattering of freeze dried strawberries. Pipe little ganache stars on top, and decorate base with freeze dried strawberries.