Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350⁰F (180⁰C).
2. Lightly grease two 20 cm sandwich pans and line the bases with baking paper. Greasing the pans well helps the cakes come out cleanly once they’ve cooled.
3. Mix 1/4 cup cocoa with 1/2 cup hot water in a small bowl until smooth. Set it aside to cool until it’s warm or close to room temperature.
4. Whisk 3 eggs and 1 cup of sugar together for several minutes, until the mixture is noticeably lighter, thicker and fluffy, as it will help to keep the cake light.
5. Add 1/4 cup oil to the egg mixture and beat briefly until combined.
6. Sift together 1 cup plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and fold gently.
7. Pour in the cooled cocoa mixture and add 1 tsp vanilla essence. Fold and mix lightly until everything is just combined. The batter will be fairly loose, so don’t worry if it looks thinner than a typical butter cake batter.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared 20 cm sandwich pans. Give the pans a gentle tap on the bench to settle the batter.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 350⁰F (180⁰C), or until the cakes are lightly springy in the centre and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Try not to open the oven repeatedly while they’re baking.
10. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before icing. If the cakes are still warm, the butter icing will soften and slide around.

Chocolate Icing

1. Beat 125 g soft butter until smooth and creamy.
2. Gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups sifted icing sugar and 1/4 cup sifted cocoa until the icing is smooth and creamy.
3. Beat in 1 tsp vanilla. If the icing feels too thick to spread easily, add 1 tsp milk at a time, up to 2 tsp, until you get a soft spreading consistency.
4. Place one completely cooled cake on a serving plate. Spread some of the chocolate icing over the top, then place the second cake on top.
5. Spread the remaining chocolate icing over the top and sides of the cake. It doesn’t have to look perfect. A few little swirls give a homemade look and character.
6. Decorate with crumbled Flake and well-drained red cherries. Pat the cherries dry with a paper towel first so excess syrup doesn’t run into the icing.
7. Slice and serve. If you can leave it for a little while before cutting, the icing firms up nicely, but honestly, I wouldn’t blame you for sneaking a slice sooner.