Baking ingredients
- 500 g unsalted butter – softened for the 6in layer
- 700 g unsalted butter – softened for the 8in layer
- 11 kg unsalted butter – softened for the 10in layer
- 500 g caster sugar for the 6in layer
- 700 g caster sugar for the 8in layer
- 11 kg caster sugar for the 10in layer
- 10 large eggs for the 6in layer
- 12 large eggs for the 8in layer
- 18 large eggs for the 10in layer
- 700 g self-raising flour for the 6in layer
- 900 g self-raising flour for the 8in layer
- 13 kg self-raising flour for the 10in layer
- Splash of milk for each of the layers
Decorating ingredients
- 750 g unsalted butter - softened
- 14 kg icing sugar
- 9 tbsp milk
- 8 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Jar of strawberry seedless jam
- 6 kg Renshaw Tiger Orange Ready to Roll Icing
- 250 g Dahlia Black Flower and Modelling Paste
Renshaw products used
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Instructions
Baking Instructions:
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2.
Step 2
Grease and line two 6in round cake tins, two 8in round cake tins and two 10in round cake tins.
Step 3
Starting with the 10 inch ingredients, in a large bowl cream the unsalted butter and caster sugar.
Step 4
Add the eggs, one at a time, adding a spoonful of self-raising flour between each.
Step 5
Fold in the rest of the self-raising flour and corn flour and when mixed in, add a splash of milk if required.
Step 6
Divide the mixture between the two 10inch lined cake tins and bake 1hr 40mins each until a cake skewer comes out of each cake clean.
Step 7
Repeat the mixture process for the 8in ingredients and the 6in ingredients.
Step 8
Splitting each mixture between the two tins, bake the two 8in cakes for roughly 1hr 20mins each until a cake skewer comes out clean. Bake the two 6in mixtures for roughly 1hr 10mins or until the cake skewer comes out clean.
Step 9
Once the cakes are out of the oven, leave in their tins on a wire rack for 10 minutes, and then turn out on the wire rack and leave to cool completely.
Decorating Instructions:
Step 10
To make the 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 9-12 tablespoons of milk and 6-8 teaspoons of vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
Step 11
Using a cake leveller, cut the top of the cake off to give it a flat top and then cut in half horizontally. Repeat this for all the cakes.
Step 12
Take the prepared buttercream and the strawberry jam and sandwich the four layers of the 6in cakes, the 8in cakes and then the 10in cakes together. The cakes should be four sponge layers deep each.
Step 13
Cover the three cakes with a thin layer of the remaining buttercream.
Step 14
Knead 3.5kg Renshaw Tiger Orange 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 15
Place the larger 10in sponge cake on a 14in iced cake drum, then lift the orange icing over the cake, smoothing down the sides with the palm of your hand and over the cake board. Trim the excess icing from the edge of the cake board. To give sheen to the surface, smooth with the palm of your hand.
Step 16
Place the 8in cake on an 8in cake board and a 6in cake on a 6in cake board and repeat the process to cover the 8in cake and 6in cake.
Step 17
Evenly space and insert six long pieces of plastic cake dowelling into the center of the 10in cake, ensuring that the medium 8in sponge cake will cover the dowels when placed on top. Trim the dowels to the same height as the larger 10in cake using wire cutters or strong scissors. Place a 7in thin cake board on top of the dowels, making sure its rests on the dowels.
Step 18
Gently stack the 8in covered cake on top of the 10in covered cake. Repeat for the 6in cake to sit on top of the 8in cake.
Step 19
Once you have stacked your cakes, set to one side.
Step 20
Spiders - Knead a Malteaser size ball of Dahlia Black Flower and Modelling Paste until soft and pliable. Roll into a ball and then into an oval to create the body. Knead a pea sized ball of Dahlia Black Flower and Modelling Paste until soft and pliable and roll round into a ball. Stick to the front of the body with cooled boiled water. Wet the top of the body and head of the spider and sprinkle with edible black glitter. Roll our eight very thin sausages of Dahlia Black Flower and Modelling Paste and stick them to the body of the spider with cooled boiled water. Leave on a separate cake board for 24 hours to dry.
Step 21
To make the cobwebs – You could pipe a cobweb directly onto the cake with black royal icing or you can buy black cake lace mix and the cobweb mould.
Step 22
When the spiders are set stick onto the cake with royal icing, and finish with a piece of black ribbon around each tier.
Hints & Tips::
Step 23
How to cover a cake with sugar paste video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odqnc1U_Xnk
Step 24
How to stack a cake video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEjaxpS90ts