Chocolate cake with apricot jam

Preperation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves: 6

Recipe Ingredients

50g cocoa, sifted;
3 eggs;
120ml milk;
175g self-raising flour;
1 teaspoon baking powder;
275g caster sugar;
100g soft baking margarine;

3 tbsps apricot jam;
135g plain chocolate, broken up;
150ml double cream

Recipe Method

In a large bowl put the cocoa powder and add about 6-8 tablespoons of boiling water to make a paste.

Add the eggs, milk, flour, sugar. margarine and baking powder, and mix thoroughly, until smooth and thick.

Pour the mixture into two 20cm cake tins which have been lined and greased. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 180c or gas 4.

Remove from oven and leave for 5 minutes. Then turn the sponges out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cold, warm the jam in a saucepan until runny and spread ontop of both the sponges. Melt the chocolate in a bowl along with the cream, stirring until smooth. Leave until the chocolate mixture is nearly set, then spread ontop of the jam on both sponges. Stack one sponge ontop of the other. Mark a pattern on the top of the cake using a knife.