'Taste the Rainbow' Opulence Cake

Total time required : Approx up to 3 hrs 50 mins (1 hour prep/mix, 20 mins bake, up to 1.5 hours for cooling, 1 hour erecting and decorating cake.)

Ingredients

For the sponges
450g unsalted butter, softened
450g golden caster sugar
450g self-raising flour, sieved
7 medium-sized eggs
3.5 teaspoons of baking powder
2 tablespoons of Sicilian lemon extract
1 tablespoon of milk (only if mix gets too thick)
6 different food colouring's

For the buttercream/decoration
500g unsalted butter, softened
1,000g icing sugar, sieved
2 teaspoons of Sicilian lemon extract
1 family-sized bag of Skittles
6 different food colouring's

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees and prepare six baking tins with baking paper and/or butter around the sides. I prefer to cut a circle of baking paper out and lay it inside the tin with butter around the edges and bottom to 'glue' the paper in place - this will guarantee your sponge will not stick. To create the sponge, soften your butter in the microwave for no more than 15 seconds (I would advise you to leave it out overnight so it's at room temperature, and do the same with the eggs) then put the softened butter and your sugar into a large mixing bowl to begin with, and mix together well for about 2-3 minutes until it has creamed together well. Then add your eggs one at a time as opposed to all together to ensure they are thoroughly mixed in and lets a lot of air into the mix - this will create a lovely airy sponge. Add around 100g of your flour via a sieve, mix in well, then add the remaining flour bit by bit, mix in well, and then add your baking powder and the Sicilian lemon extract. Once all this is thoroughly mixed in and your confident there are no lumps, if the mixture is a little too thick, add a tablespoon of milk (any kind) but this is only optional and for you to use your own judgment.

2. Weight the mixture into 6 equal weights in their own individual bowls - mine came to just under 300g each and with the recommended weights and ingredients here, yours should be around the same weight each. Now add your chosen colours into each mix. I would recommend only adding a dash to begin with - if you want vibrant colours, add little by little and build it up - if you add too much to begin with you may get a darker colour and there is no going back from that. Build it up until you have the shade you want, then pour into the six baking tins. Put all the mixtures into the oven and bake for 20 minutes until you can put a skewer into the centre of each sponge and it comes away clear - you'll know it's ready then. I would recommend rotating the sponges 2 or 3 times during the process - I did this and it did not effect the rise as this was an initial concern of mine, but it will prevent the top ones cooking through more than the lower ones and stop them from burning around the edges.

3. While the sponges are cooking, I cleaned up my kitchen and got everything in order again and prepped my work surface for the next stage. Once done, take the sponges out and leave them to cool for up to 1.5 hours, however please note it may take less (I'm giving this extra time because you MUST ensure the sponges are completely at room temperature before adding your buttercream - the slightest bit of heat and it's game over!) While cooling, I had time to do some house chores, but also you can use this time by creating your buttercream. In your now cleaned large mixing bowl, add 500g of softened butter and 1000g of icing sugar and mix together. Please do not do this in one go as the icing sugar will go everywhere! Add the butter and the icing sugar bit by bit and gradually build it up. This may take a good 20 minutes so be ready to work those muscles! As you build it up, add your Sicilian lemon extract and you will gradually see it go from yellow to a lovely pale colour. Once happy with the consistency, with an electric whisk for about 2 minutes finish it off until it forms stiff peaks. Pop in the fridge to cool.

4. Assemble your cake! Add the bottom layer onto your cake stand and smooth over the buttercream into a neat thin layer with a spatula. You will need to put about 1.5 heaped tablespoons of buttercream onto each layer for a smoothed, thin, consistent layer. Continue with this until you reach the top. Smooth the remaining buttercream around the sides. To finish - decorate it your way - I chose to do these multi-coloured swirls and a skittles trail, but as always, let the creative juices flow and make it your own! The skittles must be used otherwise the title is redundant, but again, use them to decorate it your way! Once completed and happy, the buttercream will obviously have softened a little. Pop back in the fridge and leave to cool and stiffen. After a couple of hours, enjoy!