Ingredients

For the sponges:

• 445g soft butter
• 445g caster sugar
• 8 medium eggs
• 1 lemon zest
• 445g self raising flour
• 3 tbsp milk

For the vanilla buttercream filling:

• 450g soft butter
• 450g icing sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g fresh strawberries

For the Ombre buttercream coating:

• 500g soft butter
• 450g icing sugar
• dash vanilla extract
• red food colouring paste/gel
• 500g fresh strawberries

Tools

• Titanium Chef Patissier XL

Method

For the sponges:

1. Grease and line 2 x 8” round loose bottom cake tins and set aside.
2. Preheat your oven to 180C/160C fan.
3. In your Kenwood mixer fitted with the kBeater, add the butter, sugar, vanilla and cream on medium speed for 5 minutes until the mixture is soft and creamy.
4. To this gradually start adding the eggs, one by one until incorporated.
5. Add the lemon zest and mix.
6. To this add in the sieved flour and milk and mix through.
7. Spoon this cake batter into the prepared tins and pop into the preheated oven for 1 hour.
8. Each oven will vary so this cooking time may vary.
9. When the sponges are baked, remove allow to sit in the tins for 5 minutes before demoulding onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the vanilla buttercream filling:

1. Pop the butter, icing sugar and vanilla into your Kenwood bowl filled with the paddle attachment and cream for 4-5minutes until soft, creamy and spreadable.
2. Slice the strawberries and set aside.

To assemble the cake:

1. Carefully cut each sponge in half, leaving you with 4 thin sponge layers.
2. Add some vanilla buttercream and sliced strawberries to each later and top with the final sponge layer.
3. You can pop this into the fridge to firm up as this will leave it easier to cover the outside.

For the ombre buttercream:

1. Into your Kenwood mixer fitted with the kBeater, cream the butter, vanilla and icing until soft and creamy.
2. Divide this buttercream into three bowls.
3. Keep the first bowl plain, add 2 drops of red food colouring into bowl two and mix.
4. Add 4 drops of food colouring into the final bowl.
5. Using a pallet knife, spread the darkest pink colour onto the bottom third of the cake, the lighter pink colour to the middle third and finally the plain buttercream to the top.
6. When serving, pop some sliced and whole strawberries on top and enjoy.

Chef's Notes:

1. As this is covered and filled with a buttercream frosting, remove it from the fridge 30-40minutes before you plan on serving to allow the frosting to soften up.