Chocolate Layer Cake

Chocolate Layer Cake

Cake: 4 oz/4 squares milk chocolate
8 oz/1 cup soft margarine
8 oz/1 cup superfine sugar
4 eggs
7 oz/1 ¾ cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon milk
To decorate: ¼ pint/ 2/3 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar
Extra confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Grease and lime two 8 Inch layer pans. Chop the chocolate roughly.
Place the margarine, sugar, and eggs in a bowl. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder into the bowl, and beat with an electric beater until creamy and paler in color. Beat in the milk and chopped chocolate.
Divide the mixture between the prepared pans and level the surfaces. Bake in a preheated oven at 3250 f for 25-30 minutes until well risen and just firm to touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
To decorate the cake, beat the cream lightly with the confectioners’ sugar and use this to sandwich the cakes together. serve dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
Variation:
Mascarpone, a very mild, creamy low-fat cheese can be substituted for the cream in the filling. If liked, stir in some chopped walnuts or hazelnuts.

Baked Chocolate Pudding

Baked Chocolate Pudding

2 tablespoonfuls cornflour
4 oz. grated chocolate
3 tablespoonfuls sugar
1pint milk
3 eggs
Vanilla flavouring

Mix the cornflor to a smooth paste with a little of the milk. Put the remainder of the milk into a saucepan and bring to boiling point. Remove the saucepan from the fire and pour the mixed cornflour into it, stirring vigorously. Return the saucepan to the fire and let it boil for 5 minutes, stirring all the time. Then add the chocolate and sugar and stir until it is perfectly smooth. Let the mixture cool a little, then stir in the eggs well beaten and the flavouring. Pour into a greased pie-dish and bake in a moderate oven for about half an hour. Turn out and serve with Raspberry or Custard Sauce.