Daddy's birthday cake

'This is such a great, simple, yet versatile chocolate cake. Add the finely grated rind of 1 orange to give the cake a chocolate orange flavour, or replace the vanilla extract with 1 tbsp of instant coffee powder for a mocha flavour.  This can also be turned into chocolate cupcakes if you wish - the recipe will fill 12 paper cases in a cupcake or muffin tray, and will take about 18-20 minutes to cook.  Ice them generously with the chocolate buttercream and decorate to your heart's content'

Rachel Allen, 'Bake', p69

In early August, my husband turned 40, ahem, something.  He asked for a chocolate birthday cake, so it was a perfect opportunity to try out Rachel's recipe.  Evan and I had a great time making it together.  I love it when Evan asks to bake - he's not really one to sit down and do colouring or crafty activities, so it's nice to have this time together... even if all he really wants is to lick the bowl! We decorated the cake with melted chocolate, and sprinkled it liberally with milk and white chocolate stars.  Here's the recipe...

For the cake

• 125g (4 1/2oz) dark chocolate
• 3 tbsp milk
• 150g (5oz) butter, softened
• 150g (5oz) caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 200g (7oz) plain flour
• 1 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Cocoa powder or icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

For the chocolate butter icing

• 75g (3oz) butter, softened
• 1 tbsp cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 175g (6oz) icing sugar
• 1 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder

• 2 x 20cm (8in) diameter sandwich tins

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/GM 4.  Butter and flour the sides of the sandwich tins, and line the bases with greaseproof paper.
2. Place the chocolate and the milk in a bowl, sitting over a saucepan of gently simmering water and heat until the chocolate has melted.
3. Beat the butter until very soft, then add the caster sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then fold in the melted chocolate.
4. Sift in the flour; cocoa powder; baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, and fold in gently to mix.  Divide the mixture between the tins, and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean.
5. Remove the cakes from the oven, and allow to sit for a few minutes before turning them out of their tins and placing them on a wire rack to cool.
6. While the cakes are cooling, make the chocolate butter icing.  Beat the butter; cream and the vanilla extract until very soft.  Then gradually sift in the icing sugar and the cocoa powder, beating all the time, until it is all added.  Continue to beat until very soft, then whisk the mixture until it is light and fluffy.
7. Once the cakes are cool, sandwich them together with the chocolate butter icing.  Place the cake on a plate or a cake stand and dust with cocoa powder or icing sugar, if you wish.

The cake came out really well, Daddy loved it and it was great to see the pride in Evan's face when he presented it to him.  It reminded me a lot of a chocolate cake that my Mum used to make - it was her party piece  (I've noticed that everyone's mum has their party piece - my mother in law always does a trifle; a friend's mum does a mean fruit cake... hmmm, I haven't found mine yet.  Maybe one of Rachel's recipes will become my 'piece'!)  If you'd like an alternative recipe, here it is and it's extremely easy...

Simply mix together 6oz self-raising flour; 6oz margarine; 6oz caster sugar; 3 large eggs; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tbsp hot water and 2 dessertspoons of cocoa powder.  Place into 2 round cake tins, then bake at 140C for about 20 minutes.  Turn onto a wire rack to cool.  Make up a chocolate buttercream using 2oz margarine; 4oz icing sugar and a little cocoa or melted chocolate.  Sandwich the cakes together with the buttercream, and decorate with melted chocolate.

Easy peasy! The credit goes to Stork margarine, as Mum got it from a Stork tub many years ago (hence the imperial measurements!) She lost the original recipe for a while, and was making it from memory.  It wasn't until she found the original, that she realised she'd been missing out the bicarbonate of soda for years.  It hadn't affected it! As for me, I've made it quite a few times and it's never failed.  Well, maybe just once.  Last year, an elderly lady who I knew very well from church, passed away.  We were all asked to contribute a cake for the funeral tea, and this is what I picked.  It totally refused to rise, even though I tried 3 times to bake it.  Agnes had a very dry sense of humour, and I'm sure she was playing tricks on me from on high! Anyway, I sandwiched 4 thin layers of cake together and nobody knew any different!