Daisy patch cake

1. Set aside 50g of the sugar paste and cover with clingfilm until needed. Dust a clean work surface with icing sugar and roll out the remaining sugar paste, no thicker than 2mm.
2. Stamp out into daisy shapes with the cookie cutter. You will need 30-40 flowers. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets.
3. Tint the reserved sugar paste yellow with the yellow food colouring paste and roll into small balls for the insides of the daisies.
4. Flatten each ball slightly and prick the surface with a cocktail stick. Very lightly brush the middle of each daisy with a drop of cold water and stick one yellow ball to the middle of each flower. Let the finished daisies dry for 24 hours. When you are ready to assemble the cake, preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F) Gas 4.
5.  Make the vanilla cake mixture and spoon into the prepared cake tin. Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 35 minutes,or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the tin for 10 mins before turning out on to a wire cooling rack. Turn the cake the right way up and let cool completely.
6. Using a long, serrated knife, cut the cake in half horizontally to make 2 pieces of even thickness. Place the bottom layer on a serving plate and spread with 3–4 tablespoons of the buttercream. Top with the second layer. Tint the remaining buttercream bright green with the green food colouring paste and spoon into the piping bag. Cover the top of the cake with buttercream rosettes and pipe lines up the sides of the cake to resemble blades of grass, covering it completely and evenly.
7. Stick the daisies all over the top.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large vanilla cake and 1 small vanilla cake mixture see below

• 500g sugar paste (Regal Ice)
• yellow food colouring paste
• 350g unsalted butter
• 700g icing sugar
• vanilla extract optional
• green food colouring paste
• daisy-shaped cookie cutter
• baking trays, lined
• parchment
• cocktail stick
• 23cm cake tin, greased and lined
• piping bag, fitted with a star nozzle
• Serves 10-12

Basic vanilla cake

LARGE

• 250g unsalted butter
• 250g caster sugar 4 large eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g plain flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 3–4 tbsp milk

SMALL

• 125g unsalted butter
• 125g caster sugar 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
• 125g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp milk

These and more great recipes are featured in Annie Rigg's Birthday Cakes for Kids, 12.99 (Ryland Peters & Small)