Last weekend was our niece Devina's birthday - she is growing up so fast and is now 13. We had a lovely family party and my brother Gareth was over from New York! This is my standard chocolate cake recipe - it is so easy to make and very versitile. For Devina's cake I doubled the receipe and make it in two cake pans one slightly smaller than the other to give the tiered "wedding cake" effect. When cooled I covered the cake in vanilla buttercream and covered it with fondant icing, pink buttercream andlots of red and pink sweets and ribons and feathers. Chocolate cake (to make one 10 inch sandwich cake)

Ingredients: 8oz stork margarine, 8oz caster sugar, 4 large eggs, 7oz self raising flour, 2oz Cadbury's cocoa powder, 100grams of chopped chocolate (any will do but I like white chunks for contrast)

Grease and line the two sandwich tins. Cream the margarine and sugar until light and fluffly. Add in the eggs one at a time mixing so that the batter becomes light and creamy. If the mixture curdles, I add a spoonful of the flour. Sift in the flour and cocoa and fold gently to incorporate. Fold in the chocolate pieces and divide between the two cake tins. Cook for 20/25mins in a moderate oven 180 degrees, gas mark 5 or roasting oven of the aga with a cold shelf above until the cake springs back when you touch it and a knife comes out clean. Leave to cook and then sandwich together with chocolate butter cream.