Chocolate cake recipe

Generally I just use a basic buttercake recipe and throw in half a cup or so of cocoa, and voilà… chocolate!

But here is a ‘proper’ chocolate cake recipe.  It comes from the Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book.

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/3 cups self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa (powdered)
• 125g butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 & 1/4 cups caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup water

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180ºC
• Grease and flour, or line, the cake tin
• Sift cocoa powder and flour into a bowl
• Add rest of ingredients and stir to combine
• Beat until mixture is smooth and has lightened in colour
• Spread mixture in prepared tin
• Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean
• Turn onto wire rack to cool