Chocolate Mud Cake

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of hot water

1 heaped tablespoon of dark cocoa powder

125g of soft butter or margerine

2 large eggs

125g of self raising flower

1 teaspoon of baking powder

2 tablespoons of milk

You will also need:

weighing scales

small and large mixing bowls

a sieve

hand held electric blender or mixer

a spatula

a greased (and/or lined) 20cm (8 inches) round baking tin at least 5cm (2 inches) deep.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4

2. Add 3 tablespoons of hot water to the cocoa powder in a small bowl. Stir to make a paste.

3. Put the soft butter (or margarine) and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Use a hand held electric blender to beat the mixture until it's pale, creamy and almost doubled in size.

4. Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat them a little with a fork. Add them to the butter and sugar mixture. Add the cocoa paste too and beat everything together.

5. Sift the self rasing flour into the mixture. Add the baking powder too and fold everything together with a large metal spoon. Mix in the milk.

6. Use a spatula to scrape the mixture into a greased (and/or lined) baking tin.

7. Put the tin in the oven on the middle shelf and set the oven timer for about 35 minutes.

8. When the time is up use oven gloves to lift the cake out of the oven. If it is soft and springy to touch in the middle it is cooked.

9. Put a skewer or sharp knife into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean the cake is done. If not put the cake back in the oven for another 5 minutes or so.

10. Let the cake cool in the tin a little before turning it onto a wire cooling rack.

For the Icing you will need:

50g of plain or milk chocolate

2 tablespoons of cold water

15g of butter

2-3 tablespoons of icing sugar

Method:

1. Put the chocolate, cold water and the butter into a heat proof dish or measuring jug.

2. Put the jug into a small saucepan and pour some water into the saucepan, enough to come halfway up the outside of the jug. Put the saucepan onto the cooker and heat until the water starts to simmer. Lower the heat and let the water bubble gently until the chocolate melts (or you could use a microwave for this).

3. Sift the icing sugar into a large mixing bowl.

4. When the chocolate mixture has melted use some oven gloves to lift the jug out of the hot water in the saucepan.

5. pour the melted chocolate mixture into the icing sugar and stir it together so it looks smooth and shiny.

6. If the icing is too thick add some more water and if its too runny just add a little more icing sugar.

7. Spread over the top the chocolate cake and VOILA it's done