Yummy chocolate cake!

Preheat your oven to 180C/fan - 200C/electric - gas 6

Begin by weighing your eggs. Whatever weight this comes to, measure the same in butter and sugar.

Add this to a cake mixer and mix until lighter in colour and texture. (if you do not have a mixer then use a hand mixer or just muscle power!)

Now, if you were making a regular sponge cake, you would weigh the same amount of self raising flour as your initial egg weight, however as we are making a chocolate cake, only add 3/4 of this weight in flour and make up the rest in cocoa powder.

sieve the flour/cocoa mix into a bowl.

turn the mixer containing the butter and sugar mix to the lowest speed and gradually and alternately add the eggs and cocoa/flour until thoroughly combined.

give the mix one last rapid mix for a few seconds and then add 2 tbsp of boiling water and mix this in with a metal spoon.

add the cake batter to your greased and floured cake tin (or add spoonfuls to individual cupcake cases if you'd prefer!)

and place in the middle of the oven for 50 - 60 mins until firm and springy to the touch.

---to check if it has cooked, insert a knife into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean, youre good to go!---

(for cupcakes, cook for about 15-20 mins and check with the same knife test!)

CAUTION, DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN IN THE FIRST 30 MINS OF THE COOKING TIME or your cake will sink!

take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin for a while and turn onto a cooling rack whenever you feel confident to!

to make the butter icing you add half butter to icing sugar and enough cocoa powder to give a rich luxurious taste! I use about 225g icing sugar to 110g butter but you can make as much as you like! (this mixture is very forgiving so dont worry about accuracy. and the extra will keep in the fridge!

I add this icing to the middle and top of the cake but you can ice the cake however you want to!

enjoy!