easy chocolate cake - wheat free

I've come up with another recipe for chocolate cake. It seems to satisfy chocolate lovers, and me. It's moist, but not too moist and it's got texture. It's a little bit chewy, not soft and melting, in case that's what you're looking for. If you can eat wheat you can substitute ordinary plain flour for the gluten free flour. 

you don't need chocolate for this, just cocoa powder

this cake doesn't need icing, and is great with ice cream and/or cream. It's also wonderful on it's own.

ingredients

50g cocoa powder

50g gluten free plain flower

100g ground almonds*

125g margarine or butter

150g castor sugar

4 eggs

2tsp baking powder

few drops of vanilla essence

*you can make the ground the almonds yourself, which I prefer, with their skins on, it gives a bit more texture

prepare a 9" cake tin, lining the base with baking parchment and buttering the sides

method

• sift the dry ingredients together, or break up any lumps by stirring them together thoroughtly using a whisk
  
• beat the margarine and sugar together until smooth, or light and fluffy, if you're over 50
  
• add eggs one by one, beating them in as you go
  
• add a few drops of vanilla essence
  
• stir in the dry ingredients until well mixed
  
• pour into prepared, lined tin
  

bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes at gas mark 7 then 10 minutes at gas mark 4 - the cake is ready when a skewer stuck into it comes out clean

photo to follow