Simon's Chocolate Birthday Cake

OK, OK so I know this recipe has nothing to do with St Margarets. I also know it's not the healthiest recipe I've ever made, but I have gotten so many compliments on this cake that I wanted to share the recipe.

This recipe came about because Simon, my boyfriend, loves chocolate cake. The night before his birthday, I went to the store and picked up Philadelphia and icing sugar because I knew I was going to be making a cake, what I had forgotten to get was milk, regular sugar, and a bag of flour. Luckily I had some supplies at home, but I needed a recipe that didn't need loads of ingredients and that I could make with what I had.

This chocolate cake is really quick and easy to make and the result is a really moist cake.

Chocolate Cake
3 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup of sweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
3/4 cup of walnut oil (or vegetable oil)
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 cups water
1 egg

Pour all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix a few times with a spoon. Pour the wet ingredients on top of this and mix with a whisk until everything is beaten together. (A few lumps are OK but don't leave too many)

Pour batter into 2 greased round cake pans

Bake at 180 degrees C for 30-40 minutes. To check that the cake is done, insert a knife into the cake. If the knife comes out clean the cake is done cooking.


Chocolate Icing
2/3 of a container of Light Philadelphia
1 cup of icing sugar (If you want to make a vanilla frosting use 3/4 cup of sugar and omit the chocolate)
1 teaspoon vanilla
60 (2 oz) grams of unsweetened dark chocolate (I used Venezuelan Black from Waitrose)

Combine the softened butter, Philadelphia, icing sugar and vanilla with a whisk or electric beater. Grate or finely chop the dark chocolate and put in a microwave proof bowl. Heat for about 40-60 seconds in the microwave until it is melted but not boiling. Pour the chocolate into the icing and mix together until the icing has a smooth colour.

Put the icing in the refrigerator until the cake is fully baked.

When the cake comes out of the oven, remove it from the pans and allow it to rest for 20-30 minutes. Also at this point take the icing out of the refrigerator so it is easy to spread when the cake has cooled.

Frost the cake and store it in the refrigerator until it is ready to serve.

This cake can be frozen.