Chocolate and vanilla cake with raspberries and macaroons

My favourite chocolate cake.  Easy to make, quick and delicious.   Tastes great with chocolate or vanilla icing, or used as a base for something more special.  The recipe for chocolate cake comes from Mary Berry's Baking Bible.  I decorated it with delicate and sweet vanilla cream, macaroons (see 'vanilla macaroons' recipe) and raspberries.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 50g  sifted cocoa powder
• 6 tbsp boiling water
• 3 large eggs
• 50ml milk
• 175g self-rising flour
• 1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
• 100g softened butter
• 275g caster sugar

For the cream:

• 300ml double cream
• vanilla pod
• icing sugar (couple of table spoons- to your taste)

Also:

• 200g raspberries
• macaroons form the 'vanilla macaroons' recipe (with pink food colouring)

Make the macaroons ('vanilla macaroons' recipe with additional pink food colouring) and set them aside to cool.

Pre- heat the oven to 180 C and line two 20cm sandwich tins.

Blend the cocoa powder and boiling water in a large bowl then add the remaining cake ingredients and beat until the mixture has become a smooth, thickish butter.  Divide the cake mix equally between the prepared tins and level the surface.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 25-30 minutes, until well risen and the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger.  Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.
If you are making whole cake in one tin it will take about 40 minutes in the oven.  Cut the cake when cooled.
To make the vanilla cream whisk double cream with icing sugar and vanilla pod.
Decorate the cake with macaroons and raspberries, when cooled completely.
Enjoy!