• 6 oz soft margarine (175 g)
• 6 oz soft brown sugar (Barbados if possible) (175 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 6 oz dark chocolate, melted with a little water (175 g)
• 3 eggs
• 6 oz self-raising flour (175 g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• a little icing sugar

For the Frosting

• 2 oz butter (50 g)
• 6 oz soft brown sugar (175 g)
• grated peel and juice of 1 medium-sized orange
• 1 oz plain chocolate (25 g)
• 6 oz icing sugar (175 g)

Heat oven to Gas 3 (325°F/160°C). Butter two 7–8 in (18–20 cm) sandwich tins. In a mixing bowl whisk up the soft margarine and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla essence and the melted chocolate and whisk in. Whisk in the eggs one by one. Stir in the flour sifted with the baking powder and whisk up for half minute. Put mixture into the sandwich tins and bake in the centre of the oven for 30–35 minutes until springy to a touch in the middle. Cool and sandwich together with the frosting. A simple alternative is a good strong-tasting blackcurrant or black cherry jam and a little soured cream too is very good. Sprinkle icing sugar through a fine sieve on to the top of the cake and decorate with grated chocolate.

Put the butter, the soft brown sugar, the orange peel and juice into a saucepan. Heat together gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until melted. Gradually stir in the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Do not fill or ice the cake until the icing has cooled enough to spread easily but not to run over the edges.