For the cake -

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F (gas mark 4).
2. Begin by lining the tins. Draw around the base of the tin onto the baking parchment and cut out 2 circles.
3. Grease the base and sides of the tins with a little soft butter or margarine on some kitchen roll or baking parchment. Now 'stick' the baking parchment circles inside the 2 tins.
4. Weigh the butter and caster sugar into a large mixing bowl.
5. Now using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy and has become a lighter colour. This will take around 5 minutes.
6. Break each egg individually into a cup (just in case any of them have gone bad - trust me if does happen). This also means it is easier to fish out any stray bits of shell.
   
7. Add each egg, one at a time to the mixture.
8. Now weigh the SR flour into a bowl and add this to the cake mixture with the cocoa powder.
9. Beat the mixture until everything is well combined. You may need to use a spatula to 'clean' the edges of the bowl and to make sure that everything is thoroughly mixed.
10. If you're cooking on gas, warm a metal spoon over a flame on the hob for a few seconds and use the hot spoon to measure a tablespoon of golden syrup into the mixture. Use the same spoon to gently fold the syrup into the mixture. If your hob is electric, just use a teaspoon to ease the syrup off the tablespoon.
11. Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the centre is springy to the touch.
12. It's the cook's privilege at this stage to lick the bowl - if that's your kind of thing ...
13. Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for a few minutes or until the edges of the cake have shrunk a little from the tin. Now run a sharp knife round the edges of the tins to fully release them and carefully tip the cakes onto a cooling rack.
14. Be sure that the cake is completely cold before decorating it.

For the frosting -

1. Beat together the cream cheese and margarine until light and fluffy.
2. Add the espresso powder to the mixture and then gradually add the icing sugar, beating after each addition.
3. When the cakes are completely cold, use the frosting to sandwich the cakes together and swirl over the top of the layer cake.