1 1/2 c Self-rising flour
1 1/2 ts Baking powder
1 ts Mixed Spice
3/4 c Margarine, softened
3/4 c Superfine sugar
3 Eggs
2 tb Unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tb Hot water
1/2 c Granulated sugar
2/3 c Water
2 Cinnamon sticks (2")
1/4 c Dark rum
2 tb Slivered almonds
6 oz Semisweet chocolate, broken
-in pieces
Whipped cream
Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Generously grease a 5-cup fluted or
plain tube pan and dust lightly with flour. Sift flour, baking powder
and Mixed Spice into a bowl. Add margarine, superfine sugar and eggs.
Blend cocoa powder with hot water and add to flour mixture. Beat well
with a wooden spoon 2 minutes or 1 minute if using an electric mixer.
Turn mixture into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven 1-1/4 hours or
until well risen and cake begins to shrink from edges of pan.
Carefully turn out cake onto a wire rack and cool.
Combine granulated sugar and 2/3 cup water in a saucepan. Add
cinnamon and heat gently, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, add rum and discard cinnamon. Place cake on a
plate. Spoon syrup over cake and let stand 2 hours. Stud top of cake
with almonds. Melt chocolate; carefully spoon over cake, spreading
to give a smooth even coating. Let stand several hours. Pipe (with a
pastry bag) whipped cream around bottom of cake.
