Birthday Cake

My new baby daughter, Marni, was 1 week old on tuesday, so of course, a birthday cake was in order.

- Put 225g sieved SELF-RAISING flour in a large bowl, with 30g cocoa and a pinch of salt.

- Combine 100g butter, 200g caster sugar, 200g condensed milk, 100ml boiling water, 100g dark chocolate (broken up) in a saucepan and heat until melted.

- Stir this into the flour-cocoa mixture.

- Beat in 2 eggs.

- Pour into a medium cake tin and cook for 35-45 mins.

- When cool, split in half.

- Make a chocolate ganache topping by adding 250ml hot double cream to 250g milk chocolate.

- After 5 mins the chocolate should have melted into the cream and then beat/whisk this topping until thickish and glossy.

- Use the ganache as a filling and as a topping, coating the sides as well if you want.

What should have been a very easy cake to make, didn't quite work out. Yes, you got it, I forgot to use self raising flour! The result was more of a dense chocolate brownie than a cake. Tastes pretty good, but i am resolved not to make the same mistake again!