Vintage Cake

Cake

Preheat oven to 180ºC conventional / 160ºC fan bake. Grease 1 x 18cm and 1 x 12cm round cake tins and line with baking paper.

Place vanilla cupcake mix (two packets, one from each box), butter, eggs and milk in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on low speed for 30 seconds to combine. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.

Divide mixture between prepared tins, so that it reaches the same height in each tin. Bake for 35 minutes (small tin) and 45 minutes (larger tin), until cakes spring back when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool in tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Icing
Place butter in a medium-large mixing bowl. Beat until pale and fluffy. Add icing mix (two packets, one from each box), icing sugar and milk. Beat with an electric mixer on low for 30 seconds to combine. Increase speed to high and beat for 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until icing is smooth and creamy.

Divide icing between the same number of bowls as you want colours of icing. Tint with food colouring.

Arrange one of the cake layers on a serving plate/board. Place on a decorating turntable, if you have one. Roughly spread the first cake tier all over with icing, then place the second tier on top and ice this too. Tidy up the icing, so that each tier has a nice thick, even layer (we recommend using a palette knife or cake spreader). Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Transfer other colours of icing to piping bags fitted with different tips (we used large open star, small open star and small round tips). Decorate any way that you like!

Leave the icing to set for a couple of hours before slicing the cake and serving.