Ingredients

For the cake:

170g/6oz self raising flour
170g/6oz white sugar
170g/6oz butter (softened, either at room temperature or gently melted in the microwave)
3 large free range eggs
2 tablespoons Vahine caramel syrup
2 tablespoons cola drink

For the butterfudge icing:

140g/5oz butter, softened
280g/10oz icing sugar
2 tablespoons Vahine caramel syrup
1-2 tbsp cola drink

For the topping:

50g/1¾oz dark or milk chocolate
two handfuls of an assortment of chocolate pieces/fudge pieces/mini marshmallows depending on your taste

Method

1. Preheat your oven to Gas Mark 5/190C/375F.

2. Put all the cake ingredients into a large bowl and whisk with an electric hand whisk for about three minutes, until the mixture is whipped and a light colour. The longer you whisk it the more air you will get into your mix, and the lighter it will become. You may find at this stage your mixture is whipped but still rather wet, if you melted your butter in the microwave this may be why. This won’t affect the cake.

3. Pour the mixture into a 20cm/8in cake tin. Ideally you should use a springbase tin, otherwise prepare your tin by greasing the sides and bottom with butter, then put a circle of baking parchment (cut to size) on the bottom – the butter will help it stay put when you pour in the cake mixture and not curl up – and the dust the sides with flour.

4. Put the cake into the centre of the oven, and leave for forty minutes. Check on the cake after this time, and you may wish to put a piece of baking parchment on top to stop it from burning. Leave it in the oven for about another 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven. All appliances will vary.

5. You can tell when it is cooked as when you press the top of the cake it will spring back (use the back of a spoon if you don’t want to burn your finger) and as a double safety measure you can put a small sharp knife into the cake, it should come out clean.

6. Leave the cake to cool, but don’t leave it near an open window or anywhere cold as the sudden drop in temperature may cause the cake to dip a little in the middle.

7. Meanwhile you can make your butterfudge icing. This is much better if it is made while the cake is cooking, then left overnight. Whisk the softened butter with the icing sugar and caramel flavouring, and then add the cola. Whip it up until it is a nice light colour, again like the cake mix it will get lighter the more air you get into it.

8. You can now either use this on the cake, or leave overnight and whisk again until light and fluffy; you may wish to add a little more cola if it’s too thick. Cut the cake in half and spread half of the buttercream on it. Put the top on the cake and spread more icing on it.

9. Sprinkle the top liberally with pieces of chocolate, fudge or marshmallow. Slowly melt the 50g/1¾oz of chocolate either on a cool temperature in the microwave, or in a bain marie. As soon as it is runny, pour it using a tablespoon over the top of the cake, first dribbling it backwards and forwards across the cake, then turn the cake 180 degrees and repeat so the whole cake is liberally covered in the chocolate. Leave to cool, then serve.