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I have been thinking about making a layer cake for quite some time now, but I just haven't had a good reason to get into it. Since it was Mother's Day today, I thought I would indulge myself - my excuse being that I wanted a piece of chocolate cake, and I should just make my own so as to avoid disappointment!

Everyone has been making layer cakes lately with ribbons of icing piped up the sides of the cake. I am really glad I avoided this as it would have applied too much icing to what is already a sweet cake. Instead I went for a classic cake with a coffee twist. See what you think.

Ingredients
2 cups water
250g butter
3 cups caster sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
1 tsp bicarb soda
4 eggs
3 cups self raising flour

1. Combine the water, butter, sugar, cocoa and bicarb soda in the biggest pot you've got. It needs to be at least four litres.
2. Stir until the butter is melted and the ingredients are combined, then bring to the boil. Do not take your eyes off the mix as it will boil up and over the sides of the pot, creating a shocking mess on your stove. Boil for five minutes - the more this mix boils, the darker your cake will be.
3. Pour the chocolate syrup into a glass bowl and set aside to cool until it is stone cold.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Line two eight inch cakes tins with baking paper on the bottom and the sides.
5. Pour the chocolate syrup into the bowl of your Kitchenaid. Add the eggs and flour then mix to combine on first gear.
6. Increase the speed to sixth gear and beat the mixture for three minutes or until it becomes thick and pale.
7. Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until the cakes spring back when touched. If in doubt, insert a skewer in the middle - if it comes out clean, the cakes are cooked.
8. Turn the cakes out of the tins, remove the baking paper, and allow to cool completely.

Icing
1 kg pure icing sugar
175g butter
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp instant coffee powder.
150ml full cream milk
4 tsp hot water

1. Combine all the ingredients for the icing in the bowl of your Kitchenaid and mix on first gear to combine. Increase the speed to sixth gear and beat until all ingredients are combined.

Assembly
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1. Measure the cakes to check the height - these cakes usually end up 5cm high for me. Insert tooth picks around the circumference of one cake at the 5cm high mark. Then carefully cut the dome of the cake off to level it. The split the cake at 2.5cm high.
2. Insert toothpicks around the circumference of the second cake at 2.5cam high and then split the second cake, retaining the domed top.
3. Place the bottom of one cake on a cake board or turntable. Spread a good amount of the mocha icing over the cake then place the flat top over the icing. Repeat until the cake is fully stacked. Try to use the icing sparingly as you sandwich the layers together - too much icing can over power the beautiful flavour of the cake. Reserve at least a quarter of the icing for finishing.
4. Refrigerate the layer cake to set the icing.
5. Spread the remaining icing over the top and sides of the layer cake, smoothing with a long palette knife to get is as consistent as you can.
6. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream

Makes 12 serves.