• Preheat the oven to 350°F (170°F).
• Grease a bundt pan with butter, or spray with quick release baking spray. Or grease two layer cake pans. You can also line the bottom of the layer cake pans with greaseproof paper if you like.
• Cream the butter and sugar for the cake together in an electric mixer.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
• Add the eggs, one at a time. Add a tablespoon of the flour mixture with each etc and blend into the batter thoroughly. Do this until you have blended all four eggs in to the mixture.
• Add the vanilla and beat the mixture until smooth (about 2 minutes).
• Measure out the milk. Remove 2 tablespoons and put in a small container. Set aside.
• Add the flour mixture to the batter alternately with the largest amount of milk. Do this in two additions of flour and two additions of milk.
• Remove a generous half cup of batter and place in a medium bowl.
• Sift the cocoa powder into this batter in the medium bowl and stir through thoroughly until well blended.
• Add the two tablespoons of milk that were set aside earlier and mix to a smooth batter.
• Put a layer of vanilla batter in the prepared Bundt pan or layer cake pans.
• For the Bundt pan, Dollop three spoonfuls of the chocolate batter and three spoonfuls of the vanilla batter alternately over top of the layer of vanilla batter.
• Top each of the spoonfuls of chocolate batter with a spoonful of vanilla batter, and each of the spoonfuls of vanilla batter with a spoonful of the chocolate.
• Run a dinner knife or kitchen palate knife through the batter in a wavy line, once round the cake only.
• For the layer cake pans, divide the vanilla batter between the two cake pans. Dollop four medium blobs of chocolate batter over each layer.
• Run a palette knife or dinner knife through the cakes in an up and down motion, just once across each layer.
• Bake for the Bundt cake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean. Bake the layer cakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of each layer comes out clean.
• Remove the cake(s) from the oven and cool in the pan for about 20 minutes.
• Carefully remove the cake from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

To Glaze

Chocolate Glaze

• Scroll down for directions to make vanilla buttercream for the cake layers.

  If glazing the Bundt cake, make the chocolate glaze by melting the chocolate chips and butter together in a double boiler, whisking constantly
• Add the golden syrup and beat until smooth and shiny.
• Drizzle over the cake.
• Let the glaze dry for at least an hour if you can before making the vanilla glaze.

Vanilla Glaze

• To make the vanilla glaze:
• Put the confectioner's sugar in a bowl.
• Add 1 tablespoon of the water and the vanilla.
• Whisk together.
• Add the remaining water, a bit at a time, until a smooth, drizzle-able consistency is reached. (You may not need all the water.)
• Drizzle over the cake.
• Allow the glaze to dry before serving.

To Frost - Vanilla Buttercream Instructions

• Put the butter in a clean bowl of the electric mixer.
• Sift the icing sugar into the bowl.
• Turn the mixer on to VERY LOW speed and blend the butter and icing sugar together until well blended, scraping the bowl down with a spatula.
• Spread the buttercream frosting over the top of one of the cake layers.
• Place the remaining cake layer on top of the frosted layer and frost the top and sides of the cake.