Chocolate cola cake

Ingredients

• oil, for greasing
• 250g self-raising flour
• generous pinch of bicarbonate of soda
• 3 heaped tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 300g golden caster sugar

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g butter
• 200ml cola
• 75ml milk

 For the frosting:

• 200g icing sugar
• 100g butter
• 2 tbsp cola
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Grease a 24cm loose-bottomed cake tin.

2. Sift the flour into a bowl. Mix in the bicarbonate of soda, cocoa powder and sugar.

3. Stir in the eggs and vanilla extract.

4. Put the butter in a saucepan and melt over gentle heat.

5. Add the cola to the butter and stir to mix, making sure mixture does not boil. Stir in the milk and remove from the heat.

6. Quickly whisk the cola mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix gently but thoroughly.

7. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

8. Leave to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes.

9. Meanwhile, make the frosting. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Put the butter in a saucepan and melt over gentle heat. Stir in the cola and cocoa powder. Bring the mixture to the boil, then pour it over the icing sugar. Beat until smooth.

10. With the cake still in the tin, pour the frosting over it and leave in the tin until completely cool.