Cake!

Oooooh, I love a bit of cake. Oooooh, cake. Oooooh, cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. Cake. I'm just one of these people. I come home and I need a piece of cake.

Here is my foolproof, best Birthday cake, double it if you want, never use a packet cake 'cause this is so easy, always get asked for the recipe, chocolate cake - Marjorie Dawe would love it!

1 3/4 cups self raising flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

125g butter, melted

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

Butter and flour a 25 cm round or savarin tin. Preheat oven to 180 (where's the degrees key?) degrees celsius. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, bicarb and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the melted butter, milk and vanilla and beat for 2 minutes (you can make this by hand). Add the eggs and beat for a further 2 minutes. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the centre comes out clean. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool. Ice and eat. And rant. Oooooo cake. Cake, cake, cake.

Notes: I sometimes double this recipe to make a big one for Birthdays. I do the same as above, but if I find that the top is cooking too quickly i.e burning, I place some foil on top and lower to about 160 -170 degrees C.

I usually dress this baby up with normal choc butter icing. Which is:-

1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted

1 1/2 tablespoons soft butter

1 1/2 tablespoons quality cocoa

a pinch of salt

1 to 2 tablespoons boiling water

Add everything except the water, mix, add hot water slowly to get desired consistency.

I got this recipe from a Vogue Entertaining 1996. Love it. I do have a couple of other great Choc cake recipes, for rich days. If you want these just ask.

O.K. I'm off to eat dust. And for those of you, who do know who Marjorie is, do yourself a favour and watch this..................