HANDBAG PARTY CAKE

PREP + COOK TIME 2 HOURS + COOLING SERVES 20

This stunning cake can be completed a day ahead, which will ensure you keep looking cool, as well. 3 x 340g packets butter cake mix 38cm square prepared board

DECORATIONS

28cm black licorice strap 2 square red jubes, halved horizontally silver and pink cachous 5 large pink and black licorice allsorts, halved

BUTTER CREAM

250g butter, softened 3 cups (480g) icing sugar 1/3 cup milk pink food colouring

1 Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Grease and line a deep 24cm x 35cm baking dish.

2 Combine the 3 cake mixes and make according to the directions on packets, pour into dish; level surface. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand cake in pan for 20 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto a wire rack to cool.

3 Using a serrated knife, level cake top. Turn cake cut-side down. Using picture as a guide, cut out handbag and handle from cake. Place handbag on prepared board, cut-side down, leaving space for the handle.

4 Using a skewer, mark inner section of handbag onto cake.

5 Make Butter Cream. Tint a quarter of the butter cream dark pink; tint remaining butter cream pale pink.

Use to decorate cake, as pictured.

6 Spread handle pieces of cake with pale pink butter cream; position handle and smooth joins.

7 Cut licorice strap into thin strips; position on cake, as pictured.

8 Position jubes and silver cachous, cut-sides up, on cake for clasp.

9 Mark out the name of the birthday girl with pink cachous.

10 Decorate handle with allsorts.

BUTTER CREAM

Beat butter in a small bowl with an electric mixer until as white as possible. Gradually beat in half the sifted icing sugar, milk, then remaining icing sugar.