Flip Shelton’s Hawthorn inspired cake

Ingredients

250 grams butter

1 cup (215 g) caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups (300 g) self raising flour

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

yellow food colouring

cocoa powder

Icing

2 cups (200 g) icing sugar

5 tablespoons boiling water

2 teaspoons cocoa

2 teaspoons yellow food colouring

2 drops of vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Line a square baking tin approx 18 cm x 18 cm.
2. Beat the butter and sugar and vanilla until light and creamy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating all the time.
4. Gently fold in the flour alternatively with the milk.
5. Divide mixture into two bowls.
6. Mix in a few drops of yellow food colouring to one; and cocoa in the other.  Adjust to get the right colours of both.
7. Place gold mixture on one side and brown on the other to replicate two Hawthorn stripes.
8. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean.
9. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool.
10. When cool, cover the cake with brown and yellow icing.

To make the icing:

1. Sift icing sugar into a bowl so that it is free of lumps.
2. Add water until desired consistency is achieved. 
3. Divide into two bowls.
4. Add cocoa and vanilla extract in one bowl and yellow colouring into the other.  Adjust to get the right brown and gold colouring.
5. If mixture is too thick, stand the bowl in saucepan of hot water, stirring until it becomes thin enough to spread or pour.  Use the back of a spoon or knife dipped in hot warmed for a smooth finish.
6. Cover cake evenly with a knife or spatula.