Baileys Truffle Cake

This is the worlds easiest cake to bake, tastes great, cheap to make & uses mainly store cupboard ingredients.  Don't like Baileys? add any other spirit to your filling, or just leave out the alcohol all together. A great cake for the inexperienced cook, to make on a rainy day with your kids.

Cake Ingredients:
2oz Cocoa (sifted)
6tbsp boiling water
3 eggs
4 fl oz milk
6oz self-raising flour
1 rounded tsp baking powder
4oz soft margerine
10oz caster sugar

For the Icing & Filling:
3 tbsp jam (either apricot or black cherry tases great)
10 oz plain chocolate broken into pieces
300ml / 1/2 pint double cream
4 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream

1. Preheat the oven to 180 gas / 160 fan. Line x2 8 inch greased sandwich tins with buttered circles of greaseproof paper.

2. Place cocoa in a food processor or mixer & carefully spoon in the boiling water.  Blend for 1 to 2 mins, then scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the remaining cake ingredients.  Process until the mixture becomes a smooth (thickish) batter.  Divide between the two sandwich tins, and bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 mins.  Remove from tins after baking, and leave to cool on a wire rack.

3.  Meanwhile, start making the filling.  Combine the chocolate, cream & Baileys in a bowl, and set over a pan of simmering water, until the chocolate melts.  Remove from the heat & leave to cool, stirring occasionally until the cream is at the point of setting (you can speed the process up a little by putting the bowl in the fridge once its cool enough).

4.  Spread 2/3rds of the jam on the bottom layer of the cake, & the remaining third on the top layer.  Spread a generous layer to the truffle cream on the bottom layer (don't be mean!) & place the cakes on top of each other.  Spread the remaining filling all over the top & sides of the cake.  If there's any left over, chill the filling until firm, roll into balls & dust with cocoa powder (make sure your hands are cold to do this).  Adorn your cake with the truffles - Job done!  Alternately, Lir make Baileys truffle ready made - pop a few of them on if you feel you've worked hard enough!