Sunday baking project - Chocolate buttermilk cake with best chocolate frosting

I've confessed many times on this blog I'm not much of a cake person.  Birthday cakes come around work and I find it easy to say 'no thanks'.. unless it's cheesecake then I might consider it, but not always take it.  But I know I'm in an extreme minority in my family and friends, so find myself making cakes that I never eat more than a bite of.

This one I don't actually mind that much because it's soft and moist and although not a fan of icing as such either, the frosting on this reminds me so much of those 'chocolate on chocolate' cake mixes that were all the rage in the 80's (remember those?).  My husband and frills are grateful for my cake baking, which makes it all worth it - watching their eager anticipation as I make the frosting (they are frosting fiends) I feel so very virtuous and loving spreading it on the cake.  Almost like I should be wearing an apron and high heels in a lovely 50's magazine campaign - icing a cake whilst my family look on, angelically.


(makes 12-15 slices)
Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp baking powder
125g butter, melted
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs

Frosting
1/3 cup margarine at room temperature
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3-4 cups icing sugar
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract




Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees c.
Grease a large ring or round tin or if you have a slab tin, that would be suitable too.

Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, sugars, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder)

Mix on a low speed and gradually mix in your wet ingredients - buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract until it's smooth.

Pour ingredients into the tin and bake for 20-25 minutes

Leave to cool in tin for about 15 minutes, remove and leave to cool completely on a rack or plate.  Make your frosting!

Firstly, mix your margarine with your cocoa, mix well, then gradually a cup at a time, add the icing sugar, and some buttermilk and mix until you get a smooth consistency.

When you pick it up with a spoon it should 'ribbon' i.e. you should see it's texture when it spills back into the bowl like below.  (who wants to put their finger in that???)

Spread onto your cooled cake with a spatula or knife

It will set, but personally if I'm going to eat it I like eating it whilst the frosting is still a bit wet!

So friends, who licks the beaters/spoon at your house?

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