Butterfly Cake

Preheat the oven to 160°C (Gas 3). Grease a 24cm cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.

In a large bowl, whisk the butter and sugar with an electric hand-held whisk for at least 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Whisk in the vanilla.

Whisk in the eggs one at a time, making sure to incorporate as much air as possible. Fold in the flour and baking powder until just blended. If it seems stiff, add the milk. Pour the batter into the tin.

Bake in the centre of the hot oven for 35-40 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the icing, beat the icing sugar and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add drops of food colouring until you reach your desired shade of pink. Add a splash of boiling water if it is too stiff.

To make the butterfly shape, place the cake on a cutting board and use a bread knife to cut off any rise on the top, so it is completely flat. Turn it over, so the cut side is underneath. Now take a ruler and use it to measure a 2cm wide strip in the centre of the cake. Cut this out and you will be left with 1 long, thin strip of cake and 2 semi-circular pieces. Set the thin strip aside. Now reverse the semi-circles so they are back to back. Cut each semi-circle into 2, roughly two-thirds and one-third each, using the finished picture as a guide. When the pieces are cut and you separate them, they should look like butterfly wings.

Ice and decorate the thin cake strip (the body of the butterfly) and place it in the middle of a serving plate or cake board (if using). Ice each wing piece individually, put it in place using a long palette knife or spatula, and use a small palette knife to touch up any areas that have been smeared. Decorate each before you go on to the next, so the icing does not harden before you begin to press your chosen decorations into it.