I need to make a chocolate cake for tomorrow

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I forgot I was supposed to be doing this

I have 4 eggs, flour butter, hot chocolate mix, brown sugar, caster sugar , a little bit of cocoa, some chocolate spread and 150g of plain chocolate.

Can anyone help a lazy toad with a simple recipe please.

Got any coke? This one looks good

sadly not. but thank you.

Just thought of the recipe section here!
Going to do:
4 eggs
The eggs' weight in softened butter
The eggs' weight in caster sugar
4 tbsp milk
vanilla essence
The eggs' weight in self-raising flour
Handy Hint
Add cocoa powder with the flour for chocolate cake. by Helenmumsnet.

sounds easy enough.

oh can't. I don't have 2 8" pans. only 7" ones.
Can I put the mix in a big tin altogether? how long for?

They are very easy. Would use the drinking choc in that case as the cocoa could be bitter.

Try bbc.co.uk/food and do a search for 'chocolate cake' too. There's loads I want to try there now i've looked...

thats a good idea
will give it a go and if it doesnt work it will be an emergency dash to the shop first thing in the am.

Do you reckon about 35 mins if i combine the mixture?

Nah, check it after 20 mins max.

Tap the top with a finger. If the depression springs back, it's cooked. If not,give it another 5 mins.

I'd use the 2 7" pans

ah. I've put it in the big pan. (fingers crossed)

bugger. forgot the milk into it.

I never put the milk in. always comes out fine.

Top might get a bit overcooked before the bottoms done in the big pan. Once it's a nice colour, cover it with a bit of greaseproof paper to protect it

aha - found a very similar recipe in a book (am so not with it today) it asks for warm water instead of milk. clearly didnt do that either, but it gives a timing for 50 mins.

ok, will do that - thank you
I'm not normally such a dunce when it comes to cooking! but I don't normally inflict my baking on outsiders.

It might take longer in the deeper pan. But checking it too soon will make it sink.

Maybe give it 25 mins to be safe?

It took an hour but it looks perfect
just need to put some icing in when its cool. Won't bother with icing the top - will be too messy to eat.

An hour!!

Mmmm, want chocolate cake now...

quite astonishing really! still, safely iced and ready to go.

We're all coming down with something here so I don't feel like baking.

Have therefore ordered myself a chocolate cake to come with the Tesco order tomorrow

Hope everyone enjoys yours.

I've been asked to take Yorkshire puddings to the MIL's on Easter Sunday because mine "come out beautifully" No pressure then!!!

eek!! don't you hate pressure like that!!
hope you manage to fight off the bug so you can enjoy your cake.

I was going to say... a great way to check if cooked through is to pierce with a thin knitting needle and if it comes out clean its cooked. Also using just cocoa should be fine, the sugar would outweigh any bitterness.

I've never got the skewer thing to work. I tend to go for how it feels and sounds when I press it.

hadnt really occured to me though that I didnt need a recipe to tell me how long something should take, nor that I could stop the top overcooking so easily.

I don't even use a recipe for sponge cake (or Yorkshire puddings) anymore. I do the weighing the eggs thing - works every time.

I showed that recipe to a friend of mine who swore she couldn't bake cakes. She bakes them all the time now

I wasn't quite sure whether it was shells on or off - so I did shells on in the end - less messy. Will def be doing it that way again, I won't have to remember anything!

Its shells on.