This is a quick and simple chocolate sponge cake recipe that tastes great too. I have put this together as a special request for a friend, so I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients

1 cup (4oz) self-rising flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

½ cup (4oz) superfine sugar

½ cup (4oz) soft margarine or butter

2 eggs

1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

1 tablespoon of boiling water

you will also need

2 seven inch round cake pans

Parchment paper

Preparation

The ingredients for making this chocolate birthday sponge cake should, ideally, be at room temperature. So if you’re using butter than you may need to take it out of the refrigerator several hours before baking. However, if you’re using soft margarine this should be taken out of the refrigerator about an hour or so before baking, this also applies to the eggs.

Cooking Instructions.

Begin by, greasing the inside of the cake pans with the same fat as you’ll be using in the cake. Now cut 2 circles of parchment paper, 1 for each pan – you can use a pan as a template – and then line the pan bases. Then grease the paper.

Now preheat the oven to 325°F. Next, sift the flour and the baking powder into a large bowl and then add the superfine sugar, margarine or butter and the eggs.

Then with an electric hand mixer or a wooden spoon beat the mixture until well blended.

Next, in a small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder with the boiling water; and then using a metal spoon, fold (slowly stir, lift and with the side of the spoon cut) this into the mixture until it is incorporated. The cake mixture should now be of a dropping consistency, this means that it should drop easily from a wooden spoon when shaken, if not just add a little tepid water.

Now divide the mixture between the prepared cake pans and level the tops.

Then bake in the oven for about 25 minutes. The cakes should then be firm and springy in the middle if fully cooked.

After this turn the chocolate cakes out onto a wire rack, and then carefully remove the parchment paper.  Now leave to cool before sandwiching together with jam or jelly, butter icing or frosting.

Chocolate Icing Recipe

Ingredients

• 150g good-quality dark cooking chocolate (like Plaistowe Cooking Chocolate), roughly chopped
• 185mls (3/4 cup) thin cream

Method

1.
Combine chocolate and cream in a heat-resistant bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to stand for 1½ hours, whisking occasionally, or until cooled to room temperature and thickened to a spreadable consistency.