Ultimate Birthday Cake

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (170°C, gas mark 4) and grease and line four 8" sandwich tins.

2. Beat together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating with each addition and adding the vanilla extract.

4. Carefully stir in the flour and baking powder until fully incorporated then divide the mixture evenly between the four tins.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the sponges are golden and baked throughout.

6. Leave the sponges to cool on a wire rack whilst you prepare the buttercream.

7. To make the buttercream; beat together the icing sugar, butter, vanilla extract and milk.

8. Spread the buttercream between each layer of the sponge, stacking them into 4 layers. Use the remaining buttercream to cover the sides and top of the cake, keeping aside a small amount for decoration purposes.

9. Lightly dust the surface with icing sugar and roll out the pink sugar paste icing into a large circle.

10. Carefully lay the icing over the cake and using your hands or a cake smoother, smooth down the sides and top to remove any bumps.

11. Use a pallet knife to smooth the remaining buttercream around the bottom of the cake approximately 1 inch high, then apply the sprinkle decorations to the buttercream.

12. To make the ganache; melt the dark chocolate and cream together over a low heat until the mix becomes smooth and glossy.

13. Gradually pour some of the ganache on to the centre of the top of the cake and using a pallet knife spread out towards the edges, coaxing a few dribbles down the side of the cake.

14. Fill a piping bag with some of the ganache and snip off the end to pipe additional dribbles down the cake.

15. To finish, insert the lollipops into the top of the cake and add extra sprinkles to the ganache.