Lara's Signature Chocolate-Vanilla Cake

• 185 g butter, room temperature and chopped into small pieces
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 1 12 cups sugar, sifted
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups self raising flour, sifted
• 23 cup cocoa, sifted
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons plain yogurt (can be low fat or sweetened)
• 12 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 teaspoons boiling water
• 350 g rich chocolate mousse mix

1. IN THE EVENING BEFORE
2. Grease a 9-inch cake pan and preheat oven to 160/375 degrees Celcius / Farenheit.
3. On a low speed, beat butter, essence, sugar, eggs, flour, cocoa and water in a large bowl until they are well mixed.
4. Then beat at a higher speed until the colour of the mixture changes and everything is very well mixed.
5. Spread into pan.
6. Bake for one hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Prepare mousse.
8. Leave them both to cool/chill during the night.
9. IN THE MORNING.
10. Cut cake in half (carefully !
11. ).
12. Spread mousse evenly across the bottom half and position top half on top - carefully push it down a bit to 'set' it.
13. Make icing - stir yoghurt and vanilla into icing sugar until thick.
14. Quickly add and mix in the hot water.
15. Immediately spread on cake.
16. I suggest decorating it with chocolate letters, chopped almonds or dusted cocoa.
17. Also try subbing the chocolate mousse with straciatella mousse.

butter, vanilla essence, sugar, eggs, flour, cocoa, water, icing sugar, yogurt, vanilla, boiling water, rich chocolate mousse

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/laras-signature-chocolate-vanilla-cake-225114 (may not work)