Instructions: To make the special shape, place the food tin, wrapped with greaseproof paper or foil, in the centre of the cake tin. Weight it down with scale weights or something similar. This makes the hole in the centre of the cake.

With an electric mixer, beat the margarine and sugar together well.

Gradually beat in the eggs with a little flour and then fold in the sieved flour and baking powder. Halve the mixture; add the finely grated orange rind and half the juice to one amount, the cocoa and remaining juice to the other. Place alternate spoonfuls of both mixtures in the prepared tin and smooth over the surface, being careful not to disturb the colours too much.

Bake on a baking tray at Gas Mark 4 / 180 C / 350 F for about 50 minutes until well risen and cooked through in the centre. Leave for a few minutes before carefully turning out, removing the tin in the centre first. Cool the cake.

Have the chocolate butter icing made before you assemble the cake. Measure 7.5cm (3 inch) in from each corner and mark the line across so that you make a straight clean cut, cutting a triangular piece off each corner (Fig 1). Make sure this is done accurately. Lift the cake on to the board and then stick the triangular turrets upright on each side with a little butter icing (Fig 2). Spread the whole cake with a little icing and do not worry if the crumbs get mixed in. Chill for half an hour or place in the freezer until the surface is hard enough to spread the remaining butter icing on top.

Now the crumbs will not get into the icing nearly so easily. Begin with the hole in the centre and cover the whole cake neatly. Stand one Flake upright at either side to make an entrance in the middle of one side of the cake.

Split the remaining Flake lengthways into thinner pieces and press these on to the outer edge of the cake; it is a fiddly job but it does look effective.

Scatter brown sugar round about for sand and arrange the soldiers, cowboys and Indians. Lastly arrange the correct number of candles in position.

NOTES : No special tins are required for this cake; though a hexagonal tin could be used, this doesnt create turrets. Each child could take home a soldier, cowboy or Indian as well as a gooey piece of cake! Serves 12-20.

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