Chocolate Victoria Sponge

I am still loving the Mary Berry Baking Bible, even though I've owned it for a couple of years. The recipes just work. I made the Chocolate Victoria Sponge assisted by Junior Gingerbread for my sister-in-laws birthday and decorated it with chocolate buttons of course - Tita Carmen-Lesley era contenta con el pastel de cumpleaños. Even better all the ingredients were on hand either in the store cupboard or fridge. Junior Gingerbread donated the buttons from his treats tin. The light coloured icing makes a lovely contrast to the dark cake. NOTE TO SELF: remove the baking paper before layering the cake together and is makes rather a mess and wastes the filling when you take it apart and do it retrospectively, giving your hubby the giggles watching you wrestle with paper covered in goop.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons boiling water
225g softened butter
225g caster sugar
4 large eggs
225g self raising flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder

Topping & Filling
50g softened butter175g icing sugar
1 tablespoon milk
Decorations - recipe recommends grated chocolate

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 160C and line 20 cm (8") with baking parchment and grease with butter.
Mix the cocoa powder and hot water together and leave to cool a little. Pop all the other ingredients in and mix until thoroughly blended.
Divide the mixture between the tins and level with the back of a spoon or spatula.
Bake for about 25minutes until risen and springy to the touch. Take out the oven and leave to cool in the tins until you can handle them without burning your fingers then tipping out and cooling on a wire wrack.

Once the cake is completely cold blend the butter cream icing together and spread half in the middle and half on the top.