LEGEND has it that Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, emerged from the Mediterranean Sea sitting upon a scallop shell, looking beautiful and with her modesty concealed by her cascading golden hair. The word "aphrodisiac" stems from her name.

On a February Sunday morning in Scotland, it is difficult to imagine Aphrodite emerging from the storm-tossed waters of the Atlantic Ocean. But as the best scallops in Europe are to be found around our wonderful west coast, we will have to imagine her wrapped in a tweed blanket with her hair in tangles, rather than baring all – modestly – to the wind and rain.

Seafood, especially oysters, is regarded as an aphrodisiac, so Scottish lovers are very well-served. But chocolate – also regarded as sensual and arousing – should be at the top of your St Valentine's Day gift list, along with traditional red roses and of course, a beautiful card declaring your love, signed anonymously.

Scotland boasts numerous chocolate-makers, frequently small-scale, artisan producers, hand-crafting delicious products. Although cacao is not grown on our shores, these producers go to great lengths to carefully source the highest quality, raw ingredients. Using a wealth of fresh Scottish components – such as fresh cream and butter, berries, herbs, whisky, gin and liqueurs – their finished products have become a feature of many regional food scenes.

Makers run gorgeous shops and cafes, and some offer workshops and tours. Many also sell direct to top chefs who serve them as petits fours in their

restaurants.

All of these activities are highlighted on The Chocolate Larder Food Map, an A2 fold-out map published by The List in conjunction with the Scottish Chocolatiers Network, which highlights no less than 78 different venues stretching from the Shetland Isles to the Borders.

But who was St Valentine? Why do we celebrate this special day all over the world? He was an Italian Saint, so perhaps that’s where the connection with romance lies, but he seems to have been associated with weddings. I have also heard that February 14 falls at the time of year when all birds take a mate, but this is associated with something Chaucer wrote, so who knows what the origins may be? I know that the birds in my garden become more active and songful at this time of year. As the mornings become lighter and dusk a little later, birdsong is definitely noticeable and lovely to hear as a herald of warmer days ahead.

Like most women, I adore chocolate and during the winter evenings, it is delicious to indulge in something chocolatey, just occasionally. As a chef, I know that a chocolate dessert is obligatory on every menu throughout the year. It is certainly an essential part of every special meal eaten at home, or in a restaurant, on Valentine’s Day. As February falls on a Tuesday this year, many couples may celebrate their love by cooking a meal for each other at home.

The recipe for chocolate brandy fudge cake is really uncomplicated, easy to make and tastes divine. A close friend’s mother gave it to me when I was a teenager. She was a wonderful home cook and I admired her enormously. An invitation to share a meal at their family table was always a real treat.

I made this recipe on many occasions over the years and it became a huge family favourite, as well as a regular item on the dessert menu at The Three Chimneys in our earliest years.

Like everything, dishes moved on and became more sophisticated and fashionable, but I still love making it from time to time. It can be made in an oblong tray and cut into small squares for eating after dinner with coffee and liqueurs. It makes a lovely gift when visiting friends. Double the quantity and freeze half for another occasion. You could chill this mixture in a heart-shaped cake tin if you have one.

It is very rich, so I suggest serving it with a spoonful of crème fraiche drizzled with the juice and seeds of a passion fruit – another aphrodisiac. Red berries are not in season at the moment, so I would hesitate to suggest using these, but if you want to add a touch of the colour of love, a few pomegranate seeds would look good on top of the crème fraiche and these are aphrodisiac too. Ice cream is yet another, so perhaps you might prefer a scoop of this, or whipped double cream – the choice is yours. By the way, almonds are also considered aphrodisiac. And you know what they say about brandy!

Chocolate brandy fudge cake

(Serves 6/8)

125g unsalted butter

200g good quality, extra bitter dark chocolate (70-80 per cent)

1 large egg

1 level tsp golden caster sugar

200g digestive biscuits

2 rounded tbsp ground almonds

2 tbsp good brandy

Method

1. Break up 180g chocolate and melt it slowly in a medium-sized glass bowl, sitting over a saucepan of simmering hot water. Ensure that the base of the bowl does not touch the water.

2. In another saucepan, melt the butter slowly over a low heat.

3. Meanwhile, break up the biscuits roughly and crush them in a food processor, or place in a polythene bag and crush with a rolling pin until fine crumbs.

4. Mix the biscuit crumbs with the ground almonds in a bowl.

5. In another bowl, whisk the eggs together with the sugar.

6. Pour the hot melted butter over the whisked eggs in a steady stream, beating the ingredients together as you pour. Add the brandy, followed by the dry biscuit mixture. Add the whole lot to the bowl of melted chocolate and mix together thoroughly.

7. Pack the mixture evenly into an 18cm round sandwich cake tin, lightly oiled and lined with non-stick parchment paper. Using the back of a fork, leave the surface uneven and slightly roughed-up. Leave to cool before refrigerating, preferably overnight, or for a few hours before serving. The cake will set in the refrigerator to a firm, but fudgy consistency.

8. Grate the remaining 20g chocolate into bowl. It will seem static at first and stick to your fingers as well as the grater. Place the bowl, grater and grated chocolate in the refrigerator to chill for five minutes. This makes it much easier to handle when decorating the finished cake.

9. Ease and lift the cake out of the tin and place on a serving plate. Sprinkle with grated chocolate and cut into portions. The cake should be well-covered and stored in the refrigerator. It also freezes very well and can be moved from there to defrost overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

10. Serve the cake straight from the refrigerator as it keeps a fudge-like consistency. In the picture it is served with a spoonful of crème fraiche rather than fresh double cream, as the cake is very rich. Passion fruit juice is ideal for Valentine’s Day, but other fresh fruit in season is also recommended. Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or crème fraiche, plus fresh fruit of your choice. Poached apricots with a hint of cinnamon are a personal favourite. Fresh figs, or blood orange segments, would be perfect too. Pomegranate seeds would add a dash of red for love.

As a Christmas alternative, the fudge cake can be made with chopped chestnuts and agen prunes instead of ground almonds, mixed with Amaretto instead of brandy. Chopped crystallised fruits could be added with the ground almonds to give a chunkier consistency, or plump raisins, dried cranberries and chopped walnuts with dark rum.

Shirley Spear is owner of The Three Chimneys and The House Over-By on the Isle of Skye. See threechimneys.co.uk