“What Dreams Are Made Of” Triple Layer Vanilla Cake

• First preheat your oven to 175°C,
  
• Grease three 8-inch cake tins and line each one with a circle of parchment paper.
• Add the unsalted butter into the mixer and using a K paddle attachment start creaming the butter. Creaming the butter should take 4-5 minutes.
• When the butter looks lighter in color add in the caster sugar, sunflower oil, vanilla extract and give it another good mix.
• When your mixture is creamy light and fluffy add in your eggs one at a time making sure the egg is combined between each adding each one.
• Grab yourself another bowl and add in your sifted plain flour, baking powder and salt, give it a little stir to combine the dry ingredients.
• Now add in half of your bowl of dry ingredients to the cake batter and mix until its combined.
• Add in your whole milk slowly and keep mixing. Your cake batter will look a little curdled at this point but don’t worry it’s supposed to look like this.
• Next add in the rest of your dry ingredients and mix until its creamy and smooth.
• Scrap down the sides of your bowl and give another mix just to make sure that your cake batter is fully incorporated.
• Grab your three cake tins and divide the cake batter evenly between them.
• Pop them into the middle of your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
• To test if your cake is cooked just prick with a skewer or fork, if it comes out clean your cake is ready if there is a small amount of batter on the skewer pop the cake back in the oven for a couple more minutes.
• When your cakes are baked remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes in their tins.
• After a few minutes remove your cakes from the tins and place on a cooling rack.

For the vanilla buttercream frosting

• In a large bowl add your unsalted butter and using a k paddle attachment (not whisk) cream the butter, this will take a few minutes.
• While the butter is mixing, sift your icing sugar into a separate bowl.
• Once the butter is completely smooth slowly add in half your icing sugar and mix until combined.
• Add in your salt and vanilla extract and mix again.
• Add in the other half a bowl of icing sugar and mix until completely smooth. You may need to scrape the bowl down a couple of times to make sure that all the ingredients are well combined.

Putting your cake together

• Normally when I bake these cakes, they come out with a flat top but if yours has a slight dome using a large serrated knife (a long bread knife will do) remove the domes so they have a flat top.
• Place the first cake layer onto a round cake board or cake stand.
• Spread a good amount of buttercream evenly onto the first layer making sure that it has an even thickness all over (if you want to make each layer perfect I would suggest using a pipping bag with a large round nozzle attachment and start from the center of the cake, swirling round the icing working your way to the edge then smooth with a pallet knife)
• Add the second cake layer and do the same again, making sure that the icing is evenly spread, you don’t want a wonky cake, so take your time.
• Add the last cake layer and ice the outside of the cake. Smoothing it with a pallet knife.
• With the remaining icing, pop it into a pipping bag with a star head nozzle attachment and decorate the top edge and bottom edge of the cake by piping small swirls.

Adding the candy.

• To make the sweet kebabs simply add your favorite sweets to each wooden skewer leaving about 4inchs clear at the bottom of each one, as that part of the skewer will be hidden in the top of your cake.
• Next place your left-over sweets and decorate the sides and top just like I’ve done in the photo. I added some marshmallow biscuits around my cake stand as well this is optional.
• And there it is you have yourself a delicious triple layer “what dreams are made of cake”.