Baking ingredients
- 900 g unsalted butter - softened
- 900 g caster sugar
- 4 tsp vanilla extract
- 16 large eggs
- 800 g self-raising flour
- 100 g cornflour
- 14 tbsp milk
Decorating ingredients
- 8 tbsp raspberry jam
- 500 g unsalted butter - softened
- 800 g icing sugar
- 6 tbsp milk
Renshaw products used
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Instructions
Baking Instructions:
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / gas mark 4.
Step 2
Grease and line two 6in round cake tins and four 8in round cake tins.
Step 3
In a large bowl, cream the unsalted butter and caster sugar and add 4 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
Step 4
Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour between each.
Step 5
Fold in the rest of the self-raising flour and cornflour and when mixed in, add 14-16 tablespoons of milk.
Step 6
Divide the mixture between the six lined cake tins and bake in two batches for about 25 minutes each until a cake skewer comes out of each cake clean.
Step 7
Leave cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out on the wire rack and leave to cool completely.
Decorating Instructions:
Step 8
To make buttercream, put the butter into a mixing bowl and beat until creamy in colour and light in texture. Sift the icing sugar into the bowl and combine, then add 6-8 tablespoons of milk and four teaspoons of vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
Step 9
Take half the prepared buttercream and spread on the top of the bottom layer of both the smaller (6in) and in between each layer of the larger (8in) sponge cakes, then spread the bottom of each layer of the cake with raspberry jam. Place the top layers of sponge on top of the buttercream layers to create two sandwiched Victoria sponges. The 8in cake should be four sponge layers deep.
Step 10
Cover the two layer small (6in) cake four layer large (8in) cake with a thin layer of the remaining buttercream.
Step 11
Knead 2kg Renshaw White Ready to Roll Icing until pliable before rolling out. Lightly dust your work surface with icing sugar and roll out the icing to the desired thickness.
Step 12
Place the larger (8in) sponge cake on a 10in drum and lift the white icing over the cake, smoothing down the sides and over the drum with the palm of your hand. Trim excess icing from the edge of the drum. To give a sheen to the surface, smooth with the palm of your hand.
Step 13
Roll out a further 1kg Renshaw White Ready to Roll icing, brushing the cake with a little cooled boiled water and then place the icing over the iced larger (8in) four layer deep cake, trimming neatly around the base.
Step 14
Using two different size butterfly plunger cutters, gently push the cutter into the top layer of icing and remove the excess icing to reveal a butterfly cut out effect. Repeat this around the sides of the cake at different intervals.
Step 15
Evenly space and insert four long pieces of plastic cake dowelling into the centre of the larger (8in) cake, ensuring that the smaller (6in) sponge cake will cover the dowels when placed on top. Trim the dowels to the same height as the larger (8in) cake using wire cutters or strong scissors.
Step 16
Repeat Step 5, 6 and 7 for icing the smaller (6in) cake.
Step 17
Gently stack the smaller (6in) white icing covered cake on top of the larger (8in) iced cake, securing in position with royal icing.
Step 18
Secure a wide white ribbon around the top and bottom tiers of the cake sticking into position with royal icing and add a decorative ribbon bow.
Step 19
Knead the Renshaw Flower & Modelling paste until pliable and roll out thinly, using the butterfly plunger cutters to cut out a selection of different sized butterflies and place them on a sponge to dry.
Step 20
Once the butterflies are dry, stick them in your own pattern onto the cake using royal icing.