For the cake you will need:
- 6 oz, 175 g, of self-raising flour.
- 6 oz, 175 g, of soft margarine.
- 6 oz, 175 g, of caster sugar.
- 3 medium sized eggs.
- 2 level tsps of baking powder.
- 2 oz, 50 g, of Cadbury’s powdered drinking chocolate.
- you can either add a few drops of vanilla essence Or the grated rind of one orange (optional).
For the filling you will need:
- 4 oz, 110 g, of soft butter or margarine.
- 8 oz, 225 g, of icing sugar.
- 1 level tbsp of Cadbury’s powdered drinking chocolate.
Alternatively, you may like to try, Silver Spoon chocolate flavoured icing sugar, just combine 8 oz, 225 g, of this with your butter or margarine to make your buttercream filling.
Begin by pre-heating your oven to Gas Mark 4, 350 f, 180 c, 160 fan.
You will need to lightly grease two 7 inch, 18 cm, diameter Victoria sandwich cake tins, or shallow sponge tins. Then line them with greaseproof or silicone parchment paper and lightly grease this as well.
You can buy cake tin liners, or (please see my glossary section on lining cake tins for more detailed information).
To make the cake:
- Sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and add the margarine.
- Break the eggs, one at a time, into a small bowl to make sure they are fresh before adding them to the mixing bowl.
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Now add the vanilla essence or the rind of one orange if you wish.
(Please see my glossary section for more detailed information on removing the rind). - Now, either using a wooden spoon or an electric hand mixer, combine all the ingredients together well.
- Using a tablespoon, divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared sponge tins.
- Level the top of the mixture in both tins with a large, flat-bladed knife. Keep the blade flat and skim it across the top surface from edge to edge, then turn the tin round a little and repeat the process again. Repeat this process twice more, turning the tin a little each time and you can be sure that you’ve done a good job!
Bake the cakes on the centre shelf of your pre-heated oven for between 25 and 35 minutes, (you may find that your fan assisted oven will bake the cakes more quickly). Don’t be tempted to open the oven door until at least 20 minutes are up, or the cakes may sink in the middle and not rise evenly.
When your sponges are slightly firm to the touch and light golden brown, leave them to cool in the tin for a few minutes, before turning them out, upside down onto a wire rack to cool.
While the cakes are cooling, make the buttercream filling.
- Sift the icing sugar and powdered drinking chocolate into a medium sized mixing bowl and add the butter or margarine.
- Using a fork, gently mix to incorporate the icing sugar, then as the mixture stiffens, beat well until smooth and creamy. This will take several minutes.
- Now, Peel off the paper from your sponge cakes, lay one of them upside down on a serving plate and spoon on the buttercream. Gently spread the filling evenly over the sponge with a large, flat-bladed knife.
- Carefully put your other sponge, with its soft side down, in other words, the right way up, on top of the buttercream, pressing it in place, gently and evenly.
- To add the finishing touch, dredge the top of the cake with a little icing sugar.
This cake will keep for several days if Stored in an airtight tin.