AVIES ALL IN ONE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Everyone has had enough of fruit cake by now, so if any one out there has to do a birthday cake try this one. It's quick,it,s delicious and it's practically foolproof.

6 oz butter soft but not melted

6 oz caster sugar

6 oz self raising flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

2 tablespoons of Bournville cocoa powder(not drinking chocolate)

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

3 eggs beaten

a little milk to mix.

Set oven temperature to 350 o C. Grease and line two eight inch sandwich tins.

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and beat well for about three minutes by hand or just one with an electric whisk. Pour into two eight inch greased and lined sandwich tins and bake at 360oC for about thirty minutes.

Remove from the oven and turn on to wire trays to cool.

For the filling

3 oz butter softened

6 oz icing sugar

two dessert spoons of cocoa powder

a few drops of vanilla essence.

Place all the ingredients in to a blow and beat well. The mixture should be quite pale and be very light and fluffy.

For the topping

150 g plain chocolate

1 oz butter

2 oz icing sugar

Melt the chocolate and the butter together and then add the icing sugar,the mixture should be quite runny. While still warm pour over the cake ensuring that the top is covered and allow any surplus to drip down the sides.

You may if you wish add some white chocolate shards to the top of the cake when it is almost cool.

I once finished the decoration of one of these cakes by placing a dozen Belgian truffles around the top of the cake.

You may also as in the cake in the photograph make extra butter cream and swirl it around the top and sides of the cake.

Now, did I say this was a cake for dieters? Well did I?