Nigella's Old-fashioned Chocolate Cake

Cake

1. Butter two 20cm / 8 inch cake tins with removable bases.

2. Put all the cake ingredients into a food processor and process until you have a smooth, thick batter.

3. Divide the batter into the prepared tins and bake at 160°C until a cake tester comes out clean (about 35 minutes, but start checking at 25). It might make sense to switch the two cakes around in the oven halfway through cooking time.

4. Remove the cakes, in their tins, to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before turning them out.

Icing

1. Melt the butter and chocolate in a good-sized bowl either in the microwave or suspended over a pan of simmering water. Go slowly either way: you don't want any burning or seizing.

2. Allow the chocolate and butter to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Put the icing sugar into the food processor and blitz any lumps.

4. Add the golden syrup to the cooled chocolate mixture.

5. Pour all the icing ingredients into the food processor with the icing sugar, while the motor running.

6. When you've done, you can add a little boiling water or some more icing sugar, depending on whether you need the icing to be runnier or thicker. It should be liquid enough to coat easily, but thick enough not to drip off.

Putting it together

1. Place one of the cakes, top-side down onto a cake plate.

2. Spread about a third of the icing until you cover the top of it evenly.

3. Sit the other cake on top, normal way up, pressing gently to sandwich the two together.

4. Spoon another third of the icing on to the top of the cake and spread it.

5. Spread the sides of the cake with the remaining icing.