From the Mrs: Joyce's Chocolate Cake

Joyce Ashton was a friend of my parents, in fact her daughter Joan was the vicar at mine and Janne's wedding. Joyce was a good cook and an excellent cake maker and I always remember loving this moist chocolate cake that she used to make. She gave us the recipe and it was only recently when I was digging around the cookbooks at my Mum's that I came across this recipe again and was reminded just how yummy this chocolate cake is.

It's not too chocolaty, which is great. The sponge is quite light but then I like to make it a little bit naughty by making a nice chocolate icing to go on top. You can make it however you like: as a sandwich cake, a loaf cake or as cupcakes. Here I've made it as cupcakes but if you want to do it as a sandwich cake just grease and line two sandwich tins and make enough icing to go in the middle and on the top of the cake.

For the cupcakes you will need muffin cases, muffin tin, piping bag and two nozzles one thin and one star nozzle.

Ingredients for the sponge

• 6ozs/175g soft margarine
• 8ozs/225g self raising flour
• 1 1/2 level teaspoons of baking powder
• 6ozs/175g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons of milk
• 3 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa blended with 3 1/2 tablespoons of hot water (cooled slightly) If the mixture is too stiff add a little more milk to loosen but don't make it too runny.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4 or 180c

Put all of the ingredients apart from the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Beat the eggs and gradually add them to the mixture to make sure that it doesn't curdle. Beat together for two minutes.

Fill the muffin tray with the muffin cases and spoon mixture into each case (about two thirds full). Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the sponge springs back and a cocktail stick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

If you are making a sandwich cake cook a bit longer for about 35 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack before icing.

To make the icing and filling

• 2 1/2 ozs/ 60g of butter
• 1 1/2  tbsp of cocoa powder
• 9oz/250g of sieved icing sugar
• 3 tbsp of hot milk
• 1tsp of vanilla essence

Put the hot milk on the stove to heat

In a separate pan melt the margarine blending in the cocoa powder and then carefully stir in the icing sugar, hot milk and essence.

Beat until smooth and thick.

If you are making a sandwich cake spread the mixture into the middle of the cake. If you are making cupcakes you can attach the small nozzle to your piping bag, spoon the mixture into the bag and insert the nozzle into the middle of each cake and pipe the filling into the middle.

For the icing make the mixture again as above but add an extra 2-3ozs of sieved icing sugar to the mixture and beat in until smooth and thick. You may need to chill in the fridge for a bit but keep stirring every now again. This time either spread on to the top of your sandwich cake or attach the star nozzle to your piping bag and fill with the icing. Pipe onto your cupcake in a circular motion.

Decorate your cupcakes or sandwich cake with white chocolate shavings, mini eggs or even glitter - be as creative as you wish!

These are delicious and the way to any chocolate lovers heart. My two year old nephew(and my biggest cake critic) blew off a doughnut in favour of a chocolate cupcake...and that's the biggest compliment I can receive!