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SIMPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE

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Serves: 4-6

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  • Vegetarian
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This truly is simple and highly satisfying. The cake isn't hard to make but the washing is the hardest and longest, well not as long as christmas dinner washing, that takes forever. This truely is a rich chocolate cake, ideal for if you're feeling peckish or if you love chocolate.

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Ingredients

For the sponge

  • 5 oz self-raising flour
  • 1 oz unsweetened cocoa
  • 6 oz margarine
  • 6 oz superfine sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the icing and filling

  • 1 egg
  • 4 oz plain chocolate
  • 6 oz confectioners' sugar
  • 2 oz butter (or margarine, it doesn't matter)

For the decoration

  • finely sifted confectioners' sugar (to sprinkle)

Method

  1. Turn oven to 180 degrees for a fan oven or around about gas mark 8. Wash hands and if you've long hair, tie your hair back. Grease and flour two 7 by 1 inch tins (a handy tip is if the cakes keep sticking, cut baking parchment into the shape of the bottom of the tin and lay it on the greased and floured surface, then when you come to turning them out they slip out and you peel the parchment off the bottom of the cake, that's less washing for you!). Gather ingredients needed for the sponge.
  2. Sieve the flour, cocoa and castor sugar together into a mixing bowl, add the butter, three eggs and vanilla extract and mix until the mixture looks smooth. Gently fold the mixture to release any trapped air.
  3. Pour the mixture equally into the baking tins and using oven gloves place into the oven. Check on it after 12 or 13 minutes by placing a knife in the centre of each one. If the knife comes out clean the cakes are ready if not leave them in for a couple of minutes.
  4. While the cake is cooking you can make the icing. Boil the kettle and find yourself a pot and a heat-proof bowl to stand in it. Pour the water in the pot so it just reaches the bowl and place the chocolate and butter into it.
  5. After the chocolate has melted add the egg and very quickly stir it in so it forms a rubbery texture. Add half the confectioners' sugar into the bowl whilst stirring it, it may come up in small white lumps but don't worry that happens.
  6. After that's been stirred in take the bowl off the heat and stir in the rest of the confectioners' sugar. If you want to give it extra thickness you can put it in the fridge but you don't have to.
  7. Once the cakes have cooled spread the icing on one of the cakes and stick the other one on top of it. Spread the remaining icing over the rest of the cake until every inch is covered.
  8. Dust with confectioners' sugar and enjoy. preparation time, including icing: 30 minutes cooking time: 13-15 minutes Hope you enjoy it!

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