Rooibos Tea Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake is not at all rich, yet it is deliciously moist. It is also very quick to make.

250ml boiling water

5ml rooibos tea leaves

50g (125ml) cocoa

4 extra-large eggs

300g (375ml) sugar

125ml oil

5ml vanilla essence

220g (450ml) cake flour

15ml baking powder

2ml salt

CHOCOLATE ICING:

400ml boiling water

10ml rooibos tea leaves

120g (250ml) sugar

50ml butter

50ml cocoa

50ml cornflour

7ml vanilla essence

Whole hazelnuts for decoration (whatever!)

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease two 20cm loose-bottomed (J) cake tins with margarine.

Pour the boiling water over the rooibos tea leaves and leave to draw for 20 minutes or until the tea is nice and strong. Pour the tea through a strainer and add to the cocoa. Mix well until a smooth paste is formed.

Beat the eggs and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the oil and vanilla essence. Add the cocoa mixture and blend well.

Sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to the cocoa mixture and blend well.

Turn the batter into the prepared cake tins and bake for 40 minutes or until a testing skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cake. (Cover the cake with aluminium foil if it becomes too dark on top and is not yet baked through.) Cool slightly and turn out on to a wire rack.

Pour the boiling water over the rooibos tea leaves. Leave to draw for 20 minutes or until the tea is nice and strong. Pour the tea through a strainer. Add the sugar and butter and heat until all the sugar has melted.

Blend the cocoa and cornflour with a little of the rooibos tea mixture to form a smooth paste. Add to the remaining rooibos tea mixture, heat until the mixture comes to the boil and thickens. Stir constantly.

Cool slightly and place in the fridge to cool completely.

Spread about one third of the icing over one of the cake layers and place the other layer on top. Mix a few hazelnuts into the remaining icing and spread on top of the cake. (The icing is fairly runny.)

Makes a large cake!