It's Pancake Day, yes it's pancake day, yes, it's p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-pancake day!

When I was a child, pancake batter was always made with a packet mix and a matyred expression. Imagine your family requesting a simple pudding made entiely from leftovers, as if a mother doesn't have enough to do, don't worry about me though, I'm perfectly happy to be everyone's slave, etc etc...

Then I moved in with my husband and he was amazed that I would waste money on a packet mix for something so simple (and this is a man who once tried to make chips in a frying pan). So I told him that if it was so easy, he could make them. And he did. In fact, I'm not even allowed to fry the pancakes as I get a bit above myself and try to make them ultra thin like French Crepes and then they break. So I'm the last person you should take advice from about the panckes themselves. I'm pretty damn good on ideas for fillings, though:

• banana and Nutella
• jam and icecream (unlikely sounding but probably my favorite)
• dried fruit, honey and greek yoghurt
• marmite and cream cheese
• ham and grated cheddar
• cooked spinach and cream cheese

System Administrator Chocolate Cake

This recipe for chocolate cake was given to me by our firm's systems and networks guy - a man who likes his chocolate. I love it as it tastes great and works every time.

225g self raising flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 tblsp good quality cocoa (I favour Green and Black's with a de minimis of Bournville)
pinch salt
150ml natural yoghurt (1 small pot)
150ml sunflower oil (use the yoghurt pot to measure)
4 tblsp golden syrup
3 eggs
175g caster sugar

1. Line and grease a loaf tin
2. Put eggs, syrup, yoghurt, sugar and oil in a big mixing bowl and beat.
3. Sift in everything else and stir into a smooth mixture
4. Pour into tin
5. Cook in oven at 180 degrees Celsius for between 60 and 90 minutes. (test with a skewer. Cake is done when skewer comes out clean. Cover with tin foil if it seems to be burning on top but uncooked in middle).

Your cake is now ready to eat. As a final flourish I sometimes like to do one of the following:

• Cut the cake in half and add a thick layer of Nutella in the middle to make a sandwich.
• As above but instead of Nutella add a layer of good quality cherry jam and a layer of butter cream to create a homage to black forest gateau.