Funfetti cake is a birthday cake that’s sure to impress. funfetti diameter, a turntable, a cake side scraper and a medium piping bag with a large star-shaped nozzle. 8in sandwich cake tins and line the bottoms with greaseproof paper. Dust the tins with flour, then shake out the excess.

To make the sponges, beat the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer or with a handheld electric whisk on a high speed until pale and fluffy. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the eggs bit by bit, mixing on high speed after each addition. Add the vanilla, then add half of the flour mixture. Mix until combined, then add the rest of the flour and mix until you have a smooth cake batter. Divide the cake batter between the 4 cake tins, filling each tin up to three-quarters full.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, turning after 20 minutes so they colour evenly. Once baked, cool the cakes on a wire rack. Chilling the cakes or even freezing them will make them sturdier to work with. To make the buttercream, place the salted butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Sift the icing sugar on top, bring the mixture together at a low speed, then beat at high speed for a few minutes until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.

Put half of the buttercream in a separate bowl and add a dash of pink food colouring to it. Mix and add more colour if necessary, until the desired shade is achieved. The rest of the buttercream can be set aside at room temperature until later. Remove the cakes from the fridge and trim the domes off so they are flat. Put a dab of pink buttercream on the cake board and place one of the sponges on top. Using a knife or a cheese grater, trim the sides of the cake to within a few millimetres of the cake board it’s sitting on.

Add a splash of milk to the plain-coloured buttercream and beat again for about 30 seconds. Put 2 spoons of the buttercream on top of the cake, then spread the buttercream towards the edges and down the sides with a palette knife. Scrape off any excess and discard. 12in cake board on top, along with the cake. Place all but 3 tablespoons of the buttercream on top of the cake. Gently rock the palette knife back and forth to disperse the buttercream and turn the turntable in the opposite direction to that which you are spreading.