Chocolate Fudge Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:
2 eggs
150ml sunflower oil
150ml milk
2 tbsp golden syrup
150g caster sugar
190g self-raising flour
25g cocoa powder (the richer the better)
grated zest of half a lime
1 tsp (level) baking powder
1 tsp (level) bicarbonate of soda

For the Fudge Icing:
120g icing sugar
30g cocoa powder
1 tbsp golden syrup
1½ tbsp milk
45g butter
1½ tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and gently whisk in the oil, milk, syrup and caster sugar. Next add the flour, cocoa, lime zest, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Beat well until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Prepare two 22cm sandwich tins by greasing with butter and lining the base with greaseproof paper. Bake for about 30–35 minutes in a moderate oven pre-heated to 160°C (320°F/Gas Mark 3) until the cake is cooked and springs back lightly when the top is pressed with the fingertips.

Take out of the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes then turn out of the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Prepare the icing by sifting the icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients into a small saucepan and stir over gentle heat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is almost boiling. Pour this immediately onto the sugar and cocoa mixture and stir this with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes smooth. Allow to cool then beat briskly with a spoon until the icing achieves a fairly stiff consistency.

Assemble the cake by sandwiching the two layers together with apricot jam then cover the top and sides with the fudge icing. This cake makes an excellent accompaniment to coffee.

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