NEAPOLITAN SLAB CAKE

SERVES 8. PREP 30 MINS. COOK 20 MINS

INGREDIENTS

• 300g butter, softened

• 1 ½ cups caster sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla essence

• 3 cups self-raising flour

• 1 cup milk

• Pink food colouring

• 2 tbsp cocoa

• 1 tbsp milk, extra

• Colourful sprinkles, to decorate

ICING

• 250g butter, softened

• 3 cups icing sugar, sifted

• Pink food colouring

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 180C. Grease and line 3 18cm x 25cm slice tins. 2 In a stand mixer or using handheld beaters, cream butter and sugar until soft. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add flour and milk and beat until just combined.

3 Divide batter into three equal portions. Use a few drops of pink food colouring stirred through one portion to make a pink batter. Add cocoa and 1 tbsp extra milk to the second to create a chocolate batter. Leave the third portion plain.

4 Pour batters into the tins and spread out evenly. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

5 Make icing by beating together butter with icing sugar. Add pink food colouring to create your desired colour.

6 Once cakes are cool, place chocolate layer on a serving board. Spread icing thickly over the cake. Top with pink cake and another layer of icing. Finish with plain cake and spread remaining icing over the top. Add sprinkles.

NOTE: Chill cooked cakes in fridge to make them easier to handle for assembling.