grandad's birthday cake...

Grandad let the boys choose what flavour birthday cake and after much scouring of cook books - they chose a chocolate one from my favourite cook book 'Apples for Jam' by Tessa Kiros. We hadn't made this recipe before, but it is very easy and has turned out beautifully. It is a rich moist cake with a indulgeant topping, perfect warm with a little cream or ice cream on a winter's night!

Chocolate Cake with Icing

ingedients
180g (6 1/2oz) butter
50g (1 3/4 oz) dark chocolate broken up
30g (1 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
3 eggs, separated
180g (6 1/2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
125g (4 1/2oz) plain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons of milk

Icing...
80g (2 3/4oz) butter
60g (2 1/4oz) incing sugar
30g (1 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of milk
2 generous teaspooons of golden syrup

Method...
Preheat the over to 180oC (350oF/gas 4)
Butter and flour a 24cm (9 1/2") tin
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat, then add the chocolate and cocoa and stir until melted. Remove from the heat. Whisk the egg whites into a bowl until they are creamy and stiff. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks until they are foamy, then beat in the sugar. Add the chocolate mixture, a bit at a time to acclimatise the eggs. Next sift in the flour and baking powder and mix well. Add the milk and mix until smooth. Carefully fold in the beaten white, trying not to deflate them and gently mix until they are completely incorporated into a fluffy but dense mixture. Scrape out into the tin and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely in the tin before moving on to a serving plate.

For the icing, whip the butter with the icing sugar unfil fluffy. Whisk in the cocoa a bit at a time so that it doesn't fly everywhere. When it is completely incorporated, add the milk and golden syrup and whisk until very smooth. Spread it over the top of the cake with a spatula.

lick the spoon!