Celebration Chocolate Cake

This is a Mary Berry recipe and is one of the best cakes I've tasted.  The cake is quick to make, lovely and light and the icing made with white chocolate is so much nicer than butter cream and not as sweet.  Winner all round.

It's ideal as a birthday cake.

190 g self raising flour

150 g caster sugar

2 level tbsp cocoa powder

1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 level tsp baking powder

2 tbsp golden syrup

2 free range eggs

150 ml sunflower oil

150 ml milk

Icing

200g white chocolate

150ml double cream

1 x 125g full fat cream cheese

Heat the oven to 180ºC/Gas 4 and grease and line 2 x 20cm (8") straight sided loose-bottomed sandwich tins.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.  Add they syrup, eggs, oil and milk, mix with an electric hand whisk and pour into the tins.

Bake for 25-30 mins or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed with your fingertips. Turn out onto a wire rack, remove the paper and leave to cool.

For the icing, break the white chocolate into a bowl. Heat the cream in a pan unitl hot but not boiling and pour the hot cream over the chocolate to melt it.  Stir until melted and set aside to cool.

Spoon the cream cheese into a bowl and gradually add the white chocolate mixture and stir until combined.  Set aside until it is cool and thick enough to ice.

Spoon half the icing on one cake, sit the other cake on top and spread the remaining icing on top.