Ingredients (serves 12)

• 1 3/4 cups Plain Flour (possibly called All Purpose Flour in the USA
• 2 Cups Sugar
• 3/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
• 1 1/2 Tspns Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 Tspn Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tspn Salt
• 3x Large Eggs
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 Cup Boiling Water or 1 Cup Coffee Liqueur *

Method

1. Take the first 6 Ingredients (Flour, Sugar, Cocoa, Baking Pdr, Baking Soda and Salt into your MIxing Bowl. Stir to mix the ingredients together and set aside.
2. In a separate Bowl add the 3 Eggs, 1 Cup of Milk, and the 1 Cup of Vegetable Oil. Please do not substitute the Vegetable Oil for Olive Oil - must be Vegetable Oil. Make sure you mix or whisk these ingredients until they are well blended.
3. Once well blended, add this mixture to your bowl of Dry Ingredients. Beat all together with your Electric Mixer, on Medium speed for 3 minutes. Stop beating and see the next step
4. Now is the time to add either 1 Cup of Boiling Water ( which is perfect if making this cake for a Children's birthday - but if you prefer something with a little more exciting flavour, for an adults party - get 1 Cup of a Coffee Liqueur and bring carefully to the boil in your microwave. If you do now wish to use any liqueur, another excellent option is to add a heaped teaspoon of Instant Coffee granules, add the boiling water to this, and stir - and add to the other blended ingredients in your mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed.*
5. Have a pre-prepared 10" round, deep-sided cake pan - grease the sides and base of the pan, and add a circle of baking paper around the sides of the pan, and on the base.
6. * Pour your cake mixture into the pre-prepared cake pan, making sure that the mixture is filled only to 3/4 level of your pan.
7. Carefully pick up cake pan, and from a very low height on your bench, and gently drop to the bench to expel any air bubbles
8. I do not preheat my oven but put the cake into the cold oven then turn the oven on to 160 Celsius and bake for approximately 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Ovens vary, so I normally check the cake after an hour. Should your cake appear to have cracks on the top I recommend turning the oven down to 140 C. My oven cooks this cake in about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Once the cake has cooked, remove from oven and wait until the cake has cooled before removing from your cake pan.
9. Decorate with your own choice of icing - but the favourite icing in our family is a Chocolate Ganache