Birthday cake

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Using a piece of kitchen paper, grease 2 x 20cm/8in round cake tins with butter. Line the bottom of the tins with a circle of baking paper.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar using a hand-held electric mixer until the mixture is pale and fluffy. (You can cream the butter and sugar together by hand, but you'll really have to give it some welly.)

3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing until the egg is completely incorporated into the batter before adding the next. Add a tablespoon of flour if the mixture curdles. Mix in the vanilla extract.

4. Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon until no traces of flour are visible.

5. Spoon the mixture equally into the prepared cake tins, spreading evenly with a spatula (you can weigh them to check the tins contain the same amount). Make a slight dip in the centre with the tip of the spatula if you don't want the cake to be domed in the middle.

6. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cakes spring back when the centre is pressed gently with a finger.

7. Remove from the oven. After about 10 minutes, take the cakes out of the tins and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

8. To make the buttercream icing, sift half the icing sugar into a bowl with the softened butter and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the remaining icing sugar then beat in the vanilla extract and the milk.

9. Place one of the cakes upside down onto a cake board, stand or serving plate. Using a palette knife or spatula, spread half the buttercream onto the bottom layer of the cake, then place the second layer on top. Spread the remaining buttercream on the top of the cake, creating a swirly pattern if you like. Decorate with your choice of sprinkles, biscuits, sweets and chocolates.