For 6-8 portions you need

8 oz butter 8 oz soft brown sugar 6 oz black treacle 4 eggs 8 oz self-raising flour 2 oz cocoa

Butter icing

For top and sides and one layer of filling of 7-inch cake, and    piping

10 oz. butter 1 lb. sieved icing sugar flavouring

To decorate gateau

2-3 oz. chopped nuts glace cherries in red and green or angelica

  • Cream together butter, sugar and treacle until soft and light.
  • Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little sieved flour if the mixture shows signs of curdling.
  • Fold in sieved flour and cocoa.
  • Put into lined tin and bake for time given.
  • Allow the cake to cool, then split through the centre if one deep cake.
  • Butter icing: Cream the butter and icing sugar until soft, add the flavouring. NEVER MELT THE BUTTER.
  • Sandwich together with a little of the butter icing.
  • Coat the sides of the cake with butter icing and coat in chopped nuts. Put these on a strip of grease proof paper and roll the cake along like a hoop.
  • Cover the top with a thin layer of butter icing, then put the rest into the icing syringe or paper bag using a 5. 6 or 8 pipe, and draw lines across the cake, turn the cake and draw lines the other way.
  • Decorate the edge with pieces of cherry or cherry and angelica

. Oven temperature 350-375F- Gas Mark 4 Oven position: centre