This is an ideal family cake recipe. It is inexpensive, keeps well and is great for decorating for a child's special birthday party.

Ingredients

• 175 grams butter, softened
• 1 cup castor sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons golden styrup
• 1½ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 1 cup milk

Chocolate butter icing

• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 2 tablespoons cocoa, sifted
• 100 grams butter, softened
• few drops vanilla essence
• 1½ cups icing sugar, sifted
• 1-2 tablespoons milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Place the oven rack in the lower middle section of the oven. Grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm round cake tin.
2. In a large bowl or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and creamy and the butter has become very pale.
3. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in the golden syrup.
4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa and fold into the creamed mixture alternatively with the milk.
5. Turn the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cake rack to cool thoroughly.
8. When cold, ice with chocolate butter icing or dust liberally with icing sugar.
9. Chocolate butter icing
10. Pour the boiling water on to the cocoa and mix to a smooth paste. Leave to cool.
11. In a bowl beat the butter and vanilla essence until pale and fluffy. Using a wooden spoon, beat the icing sugar into the creamed butter with the very cool cocoa mix. Add sufficient milk to achieve a fluffy, light mixture.