ULTIMATE KID’S PARTY CAKE

SERVES 10. PREP 15 MINS. COOK 30 MINS.

INGREDIENTS

• 150g salted butter

• ¼ cup vegetable oil

• 1 ½ cup white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 ½ cups self raising flour

• 1 ¼ cup whole milk

SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

• 125g egg whites

• 1 ½ cup white caster sugar

• 500g softened salted butter

• 1 tsp vanilla essence

• Food gel

• Store-bought doughnut cookies, ready-rolled fondant shapes, to decorate

METHOD

1 Preheat your oven to 180C. Line 2 x 20cm baking tins with baking paper.

2 Cream the butter, oil and sugar in a mixing bowl until pale in colour. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add the flour in 3 parts, alternating with the milk. Beat for 15 seconds on high until fluffy.

3 Pour batter into prepared baking tins and bake for at least 30 minutes or until cooked through when tested with a bamboo skewer.

4 To make the Swiss meringue buttercream, add egg whites and white sugar to a bowl and place over a bain-marie. Whisk together to cook the egg white and dissolve the sugar. Using a pastry brush and water, wash the sides of the inside of the bowl to ensure no sugar crystals form and crystallise your mixture. Once you can rub some of the mixture between your thumb and index finger and there are no sugar granules, the mixture is ready. 5 Add the hot mixture to a standing mixmaster fitted with a whisk attachment, or use a hand held whisk to whisk the mixture until the egg whites turn into a thick stable meringue mix.

6 Once the egg mixture is cooled and stiff peaks have formed, add the softened butter a little at a time until fully incorporated and creamy. Add vanilla, food gel or other flavourings of your choice. Sandwich the cake with the buttercream and ice the sides. Decorate as you wish.