Enough with the soppiness, I know you’re really just here for the CAKE! I’ve tinted my go-to mix-it-and-shove-it-in-the-oven-cake a pretty alarming hue of pink and purple and layered the cakes together with buttercream made from Natura Sugars unrefined Demerara Icing Sugar. It’s also got a crazy amount of sprinkles on top. But hey, sprinkles make me happy.

It’s not a birthday cake without candles and the ones on this cake, are super special. Last year, I received a huge box of odds and ends from my late great Aunt Gwen. She was a hoarder of note – although, if you look at my burgeoning prop collection, it appears this quality runs in the family! In the box of odds and ends was the prettiest little set of birthday candles, which, by the looks of it, date back to 1562. I remember thinking how sad it was that this pink and blue box was never opened – who did my great aunt buy them for and why didn’t they ever never make it onto a cake? I’ve kept them for over a year, thinking that they would have to wait a little longer for something truly special. And I think this, is a pretty special occasion 🙂

Watercolour Vanilla Birthday Cake

Serves 8-10

250g butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups Natura Sugars Golden Caster Sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

3 cups cake flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 cup milk

Pink and purple gel food colouring

Frosting

250g butter, softened

2 cups Natura Sugars Demerara Icing Sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

drop of milk, if necessary

Turquoise gel food colouring

Sprinkles, glitter, candles, sparklers and sweeties, to decorate

Preheat oven to 150° C (fan-forced) Grease 2 x 20 cm (8 in) round cake tin and line with non-stick baking paper (sides and bottom). Place the butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and milk in the bowl of an electric mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment). Beat on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to high and beat the mixture until it is just smooth. Spoon mixture into baking tin and bake for 1 hour 5 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in cake tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn out onto the wire rack and cool completely. Cut each cake in half so you have 4 layers.*

For the buttercream, whip the butter in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment until very white and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and whip for 5 minutes until almost white and the icing sugar is completely dissolved (add a drop or two of milk if necessary). Tint ¼ of the icing turquoise and the other ¼ pink and place them in 2 piping bags fitted with different star nozzles. Use the white icing to frost and layer the cakes together (alternating the colours of the cake – one pink, one purple, one pink, one purple) and cover the outside with a thin layer of frosting. Smear a little of the pink and blue frosting on the outside of the cake then run a palette knife around to give it a watercolour effect. Decorate with blobs of the coloured frosting then go crazy with sprinkles, glitter, sparklers and sweeties.

WATCH HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE HERE: