Here, at the request of reader Bruessel, is the recipe for our family favourite.Prepare two 7 inch (18cm) sandwich tins by brushing with oil and lining base with baking parchment.
Ingredients
6oz (175g) soft margarine (I find this gives a lighter texture than butter)
6oz (175g) caster sugar
5oz (150g) self-raising flour
1oz (25g) good cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs
Sift all the dry ingredients and put into a large bowl with the eggs and margarine. Beat well for for 2 or 3 minutes, until smooth and blended. Divide mixture between the prepared cake tins.
Bake for about 20 minutes in a warm Aga oven, slightly longer in a conventional oven (Gas 3, 325F or 160C) until cakes are risen and firm to the touch. Turn cakes out onto a wire rack, to cool.
Suggestions for decoration
- Fill with butter cream (pictured): Blend together 3oz (75g)butter with 6oz (150g) icing sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Top may be decorated with more butter cream and sprinkled with chocolate
- Top may be decorated with melted chocolate
- Fresh cream and raspberries make a good filling
Perhaps someone can tell me how to insert the symbol for 'degrees' so that I can include the temperature for conventional ovens correctly?
Yum! That looks so delicious.
ReplyDeleteRe inserting the degree symbol, M - if you use Microsoft Office, try composing the post in Word and insert the degree symbol in the usual way. Then cut and paste the whole post into your blog. That's what I do when I want to use special symbols or, for example, accents (for showing off in French!) I've just tried this in Typepad (which powers my blog) and it works. For some reason, I also find I'm more likely to spot typos when I compose a post in Word first than when I compose in Typepad. (Probably because I use a much larger point size in Word . . . )
Many thanks, D. I hadn't realised that copying from Word would work with anything that isn't available within Blogger. I'll give it a try.
ReplyDeleteOn my Mac, it is option then zero.
ReplyDeleteBoy that cake looks delish! I'm going to copy the recipe.
Thanks, Nan. I have a PC, not a Mac but I'll give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI have experimented with both suggestions and copying from Word worked. I couldn't find a way to get the desired symbol from the keyboard, though.
ReplyDeleteInsert the degree symbol by using the Symbols command on the Insert menu. Scroll down until you see the '◦'. Lots of other cool symbols as well.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I mean in MSWord.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. I will try that very soon.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the tips on using the degree symbol. I will know what to do in future i.e. write up the whole post in MS Word and then copy it. I tried to insert the symbol into the existing post but got an error message.
ReplyDeleteHello monix
ReplyDeleteI landed on your blog (via Mersea Island) the very day on which I needed a chocolate cake (and, even better, have DD at home to make it!)Your recipe is coming off the printer right now. (Delia Smith's - in the original big black book - is similar, but like you I would always use three eggs - nothing worse than a skinny sponge!)
Ah, this wonnerful internet. AliB
Welcome, Debut novelist, I hope the cake turns out well. I've just had a quick look at Between the Lines and it is my kind of blog, so I hope you don't mind my adding you to my blog roll so that I can keep up to date with your posts.
ReplyDeleteWow…. I love just love cakes & used to bake them at my home too, thanks for sharing the recipe.
ReplyDelete