Chocolate fudge cake

We've been enjoying a week's 'holiday' at home, exploring our new area. We can't quite believe that we actually live in such a beautiful part of the country and that we don't have to traipse back to London on a Sunday night. Our dog thinks he is in heaven and loves the walks round here - we love them too especially as it gives us an excuse to raid the hedgerows for blackberries, sloes and other goodies. I'll try not to bombard you with too many blackberry and apple recipes but do watch out for a few coming this way.

Last weekend we celebrated my husband's birthday and I thought it only fitting to bake a cake. I asked him to choose a flavour and he plumped for chocolate. Not very original admittedly, but you can't really ever go wrong with a good slice of chocolate cake. This recipe is one that I've baked numerous times and I love it. I may even have blogged it before... The cake itself isn't especially elaborate or sophisticated - a simple chocolatey sponge - but the chocolate fudge icing is quite a different matter. It is still very simple but it is totally delicious, particularly if you have a very sweet tooth like me.

This is the cake to bake when you want a sweet chocoately treat - not an elegant, dark chocolate sophisticated bake but the sort of cake that disappears far too quickly. Popular with children as well as adults, it is a winner!

I chose to decorate the top with some of my favourite chocolates but you could get far more creative here. Smarties are always bright and jolly and I have once piped a birthday message on top with melted white chocolate. Pink sugar roses are nice too if you feel like something more girly.

I took the recipe from one of my mother's cook books - I think a Prue Leith one - but I can't be sure.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

3 tbsp cocoa powder

3 tbsp warm water
225g soft margarine
225g golden caster sugar (or normal is fine)
4 eggs

1tsp vanilla essence

225g self-raising flour

For the icing:

175g butter

6tbsp water

225g golden caster sugar (or normal is fine)

100g drinking chocolate powder

350g icing sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 175C. Line and grease a 9 inch cake tin (mine was actually 8 3/4 inch and worked fine).

2. Blend together the cocoa and warm water.

3. Cream the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Add eggs, cocoa mixture and vanilla and mix together until combined. Gradually fold in the flour a little at a time until combined. Pour into prepared cake tin.

5. Bake for 50-60 minutes until cake springs back when finger lightly pressed in the middle. Cool on a wire rack.



Boiling the butter, sugar and water for the chocolate fudge icing

6. Whilst the cake is cooling, prepare the scrumptious icing. Heat the butter and 6 tbsp water and caster sugar in a pan until it starts to boil. Boil for a minute or so before adding the drinking chocolate and icing sugar. Remove from heat and beat until smooth (this is easier if you have sieved the icing sugar but I didn't bother). Leave to cool.

7. Once cake it cool, carefully slice in half. Sandwich together with icing and then smother the top and sides with more icing. Decorate as you wish.

8. Devour!