The Simple Chef: Easy Chocolate Cake

Got the gang over for a catch-up? Or no time to create a three tier birthday cake? This tried and tested recipe will cook up a treat in less than an hour. We’ve added some extra nibbles to naughty it up a bit, making it a marshmallow and pecan chocolate heaven – but you can adjust as suits.

Ingredients

150g self-raising flour

2 large eggs

200g margarine

175g caster sugar

75g cocoa powder

1tsp baking powder

handful of small marshmallows

handful of halved pecan nuts

For the Icing

50g dark chocolate

50g milk chocolate

100g butter

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180/gas mark four
• Grease your tin
• Mix all ingredients in a bowl with wooden spoon or fork
• Add a splash of water, if you have trouble binding the mix, until it looks smooth but not runny
• Place the mix into the tin
• Put in oven for 45 mins or until springy at touch
• While the cake is cooking, place the chocolate (broken up) and the butter (chopped up) into a bowl above boiling water until it melts
• Then leave to cool for 10-15 minutes
• When the cake is done leave it to cool for 15 minutes
• Then smooth the icing over the cake and decorate as pleases
• Enjoy!

Lydia Eccleston

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