Chocolate box cakes
by Karen Burns-Booth
makes 12
60 minutes
Ingredients

For the cakes

  • 225g of self-raising flour
  • 225g of caster sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 40g of cocoa powder
  • 115g of butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 150ml of whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Buttercream

  • 75g of butter, softened
  • 3 tbsp of cocoa powder
  • 200g of icing sugar
  • 3 tbsp of milk, mixed with 1 tsp vanilla extract

To decorate

  • 12 chocolates, of your choice
Method
1
Heat oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4. Grease 12 x muffin or individual Victoria sandwich tins
2
Mix the flour, sugar, salt and cocoa together. Rub the butter into the flour mixture. Beat the eggs with the milk
3
Stir in the egg and milk mixture with the vanilla extract into the dry ingredients and beat well
4
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins and bake for about 22 to 25 minutes until well risen. Allow them to cool before cutting the cakes in half
5
To make the buttercream, add the softened butter to the cocoa and then stir in the icing sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and thick
6
Sandwich the cakes with buttercream in the middle and spread some buttercream on top. Decorate each cake with a chocolate from a box of chocolates