Old Fashioned Tea-Time Milk Chocolate Cake

Another one of my Mum's failsafe recipes......originally taken from the Be-Ro Home Recipes Cookbook. This cake is always a winner for afternoon teas and is delicious if eaten with a glass of cold milk! A well-behaved cake when packed for a picnic too. If you don't have evaporated milk, use full fat fresh milk instead. You can decorate this cake with walnut or pecan halves - little Cadbury's "Chocolate Buttons" are also a good finishing touch! When raspberries are in season, I often add them to the sandwich filling and to the top for decoration.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 1 Cake

Ingredients

• Cake

• 7  ounces self raising flour
• 7  ounces caster sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 2  ounces cocoa powder
• 4  ounces  soft margarine or 4  ounces  softened butter
• 2  eggs, beaten with
• 5  tablespoons evaporated milk
• 5  tablespoons  extra evaporated milk
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract

• Milk Chocolate Icing

• 3  ounces butter
• 4  tablespoons cocoa powder
• 8  ounces  sieved icing sugar
• 3  tablespoons  hot evaporated milk or 3  tablespoons  hot full-fat milk
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract

• TO DECORATE

•  chocolate, buttons
•  walnuts
•  pecans
•  raspberries

Directions

1. CAKE:
2. Sieve the flour, sugar, salt and cocoa together.
3. Rub in the margarine or butter.
4. Stir the beaten eggs and evaporated milk into the mixture, then add the extra evaporated milk and vanilla extract.
5. Beat well until light and fluffy and well mixed.
6. Grease and line a 6" or 7" round tin - not loose-bottomed as the mixture may run out.
7. Bake in a moderate oven, 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 25 to 35 minutes, or until well risen.
8. Allow to cool slightly before turning out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely before icing and decorating the cake.
9. ICING:
10. Melt the butter and blend in the cocoa powder, sieved icing sugar, hot milk and vanilla extract.
11. Beat until smooth and thick.
12. Allow to settle for about 5 minutes before icing the cake.
13. ASSEMBLING THE CAKE:
14. When the cake is completely cold, cut the cake in half and sandwich the two halves together with half of the icing.
15. Spread some of the remaining icing on the top, reserving some to be piped on in rosettes around the top of the cake. Pipe 12 rosttes on the top of the cake and one in the middle.
16. Decorate each rosette with a nut half, chocolate button or fresh raspberry.
17. Store in an airtight tin for upto 5 days, or freeze the cake before icing. Can be frozen for upto 3 months.