Favourite Chocolate Cake

This is a family favourite chocolate cake from one of my favourite recipe books "Home Baked" by Australian Women's Weekly, slightly adapted in the methodology.

CHOCOLATE CAKE
2 cups (500ml) water
3 cups (660gm) caster sugar
250gm butter, chopped
1/2 cup (35gm) cocoa powder, sifted
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3 cups (450gm) self-raising flour, sifted
4 eggs, beaten lightly

FUDGE FROSTING
90gm butter
1/3 cup (80ml) water
1/2 cup (110gm) caster sugar
1 1/2 cups (240gm) icing sugar mixture (confectioner sugar)
1/3 cup (35gm) cocoa powder, sifted

1. Preheat the oven to moderate. Grease a 26.5cm x 33cm (14 cup or 3.5 litre) baking pan, line base with baking paper.
2. Combine water, butter, sugar, sifted cocoa powder and soda into a medium saucepan, stir over heat, without boiling until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Leave to cool till room temperature. Pour into a measuring cup (this make it easier later).
3. Next, I use a mixer for this. Sift the flour into mixing bowl. Slowly pour in the cocoa mixture and mix well.
4. Add the beaten eggs to the mixture, mix again to combine until smooth.
5. Slowly pour mixture into baking pan.
6. Bake cake in moderate oven about 50 minutes. Stand cake in pan for 5 minutes before turning onto wire rack, turn cake top-side up to cool.
7. Spread cold cake with fudge frosting.

Fudge Frosting
Combine butter, water and caster sugar in small saucepan. Stir over heat until the sugar dissolves. Sift icing sugar and cocoa into a small bowl then gradually stir in hot butter mixture. Cover, refrigerate about 20 minutes or until the frosting thickens. Beat with wooden spoon until spreadable.

Note: my method for the cake mixture is different from the original recipe, this method works for me. Sometimes when the cocoa mixture is still hot, it can make the flour go lumpy.