Floral fancies

INGREDIENTS ● 250G UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED, PLUS EXTRA TO GREASE ● 250G CASTER SUGAR ● 5 EGGS, BEATEN ● 250G SELF-RAISING FLOUR ● 1TSP VANILLA EXTRACT FOR THE DECORATION ● 3TBSP APRICOT JAM ● 250G MARZIPAN ● 125G UNSALTED BUTTER ● 200G ICING SUGAR, PLUS EXTRA TO DUST ● 750G FONDANT ICING SUGAR ● PINK AND YELLOW FOOD COLOURING ● SUGAR FLOWERS OR EDIBLE FLOWERS, TO DECORATE

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Grease and line a

20cm square cake tin with baking parchment. Put the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs a little at a time, then stir in half the flour with the vanilla. Fold in the remaining flour and spoon into the tin.

Bake the cake for 35-40min, until golden brown and firm to the touch in the centre. A skewer inserted into the middle of the cake should come out cleanly. If not, bake for a few min more. Cool in the tin for 10min, then turn out, upside down, on a wire rack.

When the cake is completely cold, spread the tops (the flat bottom of the cake) with apricot jam. Dust a work surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan very thinly; place on top of the cake, trimming it to fit. Cut the cake into 4cm strips and cut each strip into 4cm squares to give you 25 cakes. Make some butter cream by mixing the butter and icing sugar together with a drop of boiling water to create a smooth, spreadable icing. Cover the four sides (but not the top) of each cube with butter cream as neatly as you can – this will make sure that the fondant icing looks smooth when poured over later. Chill the cakes for 30min.

Sieve the fondant icing sugar into a bowl and add just enough water to give a thick pouring consistency (it should coat the back of a wooden spoon thickly). Divide the icing into two bowls and add a colouring to each.

Pour a little fondant icing over each cake and with a small palette knife spread the icing down the sides and leave to set on a wire rack. Decorate with sugar or edible flowers.