Chocolate traybake

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Easy Serves 10

Ingredients
For the chocolate sponge
185ml vegetable oil, plus extra for the tin
250g plain flour
80g cocoa powder
2½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
325g light brown soft sugar
250ml buttermilk
125ml strong coffee or espresso, (can be
warm, but not hot)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
For the icing
150g salted butter, softened
200g icing sugar
4 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp milk
sprinkles, sweets, chocolate shavings or nuts,to decorate

Method

Step 1

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Oil and line the base and
sides of a 33cm x 23cm roasting tin or cake tin with a lip of at
least 2½ cm. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder,
bicarb, sugar and a good pinch of salt in a large bowl. Rub any
lumps of sugar between your fingers, shaking the bowl a few
times to bring them to the surface.

Step 2

Whisk the oil, buttermilk, coffee, vanilla and eggs in a jug, then
pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Use a spatula to stir well,
removing any pockets of flour. Pour the mixture into the lined tin
and bake for 25-30 mins until a skewer inserted into the centre
comes out clean. If any wet cake mixture clings to the skewer,
return the cake to the oven for 5 mins, then check again. Once
cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for at
least 20 mins.

Step 3

Meanwhile, make the icing. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then
remove from the heat and stir in the icing sugar, cocoa powder
and milk. The icing will be very runny but will thicken a little as it
cools. (If the icing has set too much before the cake has cooled,
reheat it slightly to make it easier to pour.)

Step 4

Pour the icing over the cake and leave to set. Decorate with the
sweets, sprinkles, chocolate shavings or nuts, then cut into
squares and dig in.