Easy Bakes for Children #2 Chocolate Cake

What you’ll need….

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees, or gas mark 5
2 x 8inch cake tins, well greased or lined – there are some great liners that you can get online if you’re a keen baker!
Large bowl
Whisk
Spatula

Ingredients

For the cake –
200g self-raising flour
200g caster sugar
200g baking margerine
4 eggs
1.5tsp baking powder
25g chocolate powder – bournville is great, so is Aldi’s version
2tbsp milk
1tsp vanilla essence (if you have it)

For the frosting –
100g milk chocolate – melted gently in the microwave (I personally find it easier to grab a pack of chocolate chips – they are about 45p in Aldi and they melt much faster)
200g softened butter (I find unsalted is better than margarine)
400g icing sugar
40g chocolate powder (as above)
1tsp vanilla essence
Milk if required to thin the mixture – tsp at a time!

Method

Soften the margarine by mixing it until soft. Once soft, add in all of the other ingredients and give it a good old mix! It needs to be really well combined. If you have older children, you could easily use a hand whisk (supervised – obviously!) to make sure its really combined – or even give it a hand whisk once you’re little one has had enough of baking!

Pour half of the mixture into each tin and bake (on the same shelf if you can) for 20-30 minutes – until a skewer comes out nice and clean with no ‘batter’ on it.

Cool for 20 minutes (in the pan) then tip out onto a wire rack and cool fully

Buttercream Filling

Gently melt the chocolate in a microwave – careful not to burn (mum or dad to do this!) – or over a bowl of hot water on the hob.

Take the softened butter in a bowl, combine in the icing sugar, vanilla and chocolate powder until smooth. Pour in the melted chocolate and whip.

Fill the cake with the lovely buttercream, you can top it too, even with lots of chocolates or some chocolate shavings or sprinkles!

Happy Baking, love Jodie xXx