With Easter just around the corner, there is a great deal more chocolate around, and it is time to indulge your tastebuds as spring comes into full bloom.

Here is a great recipe that uses some of your favourite easily available chocolate: Galaxy and Vanilla Marble Cake (Makes 1 loaf) Ingredients: 225g unsalted butter 225g caster sugar 1 vanilla pod 75g chocolate 1tsp cocoa powder 4 eggs, beaten 225g self-raising flour Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 5. Lightly grease and base line a 900g loaf tin.

Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over simmering water - do not let the water touch the bowl. Leave to cool slightly.

Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Split the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds - add these to the butter and sugar. Cream the ingredients together until light and fluffy.

Gradually add the beaten egg, a little at a time, using a little flour to help if the mixture starts to curdle.

Fold in the flour, then spoon half the mixture into another bowl.

Fold the melted chocolate and cocoa powder into one bowl of mixture.

Spoon alternate spoonfuls of each mixture into the loaf tin. When all the mixture has been used, drag a knife through the mixture to give a marble effect when it is cooked.

Bake for 1 1/4 hours until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the tin and leave to cool on a cooling rack.