By popular demand, here is the recipe for my daughter’s birthday cake of choice. The sponge isn’t overly sweet until you add the icing and the Terry’s Chocolate Orange slices are entirely optional!
Ingredients:
1 orange
175g soft margarine
175g caster sugar
3 eggs
2 tb.spoons cocoa powder
2 tb.spoons warm water
1 t.spoon baking powder
200g self raising wholemeal flour
5 tb.spoons plain natural yogurt
For the icing:
100g milk chocolate drops
175g plain chocolate drops
150 ml soured cream
You will need a 20cm round cake tin approx 7.5 cm deep.
Method:
Preheat oven to 170 degrees C, 325 degrees F, gas mark 3.
Grease and line tin.
Grate and juice the orange.
Beat the margarine, sugar and orange rind until light and fluffy.
Beat the eggs separately and then add a little at a time to the mixture whilst beating it between each addition.
Mix the cocoa powder and warm water in a bowl to form a paste then add to the mixture and stir in.
Sift the baking powder and half of the flour over the mixture. Then add half of the yogurt. Gently fold together.
Sift the remaining flour, add the yogurt and orange juice and fold in. Tip any remaining bran from the sieve in too.
Add to tin and cook for one hour or until cake feels firm.
Then leave on wire rack to cool.
Icing:
Melt the chocolate drops in a heatproof bowl over hot water. Remove from heat and whisk in the soured cream and spread over the cake. Decorate with Terry’s Chocolate Orange slices or chocolate curls. Enjoy!
I hope you like it – I know a lot of folks find my blog searching for this recipe even though it is primarily about writing and books, you are of course welcome to look up my books too!
If you have any bright ideas or amendments feel free to leave a comment.
Thanks 
