Pink buttercream bunting cake

Add 2 tbsp raspberry conserve to the buttercream and mix until incorporated

Trim and level the tops of the cakes. Place one onto the middle of the cake drum, securing with buttercream. Layer the cakes using about one-third of the buttercream between the layers.

Crumb coat the cake To do this, place onto a turntable and, with a small palette knife, spread about half the remaining buttercream around the sides, covering with an even layer.

Rotating the turntable, press the icing scraper lightly against the side of the cake, smoothing out the buttercream. Remove the excess from the scraper – try not to mix this buttercream with the remainder, to avoid having cake crumbs in the top coat.

Using the palette knife, spread more of the buttercream over the top of the cake and smooth over. You may need to smooth around the sides again to neaten up the top edge. Place the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes, until the first layer of buttercream has firmed up.

Spread the remaining buttercream evenly around the sides of the cake with the palette knife. Smooth the sides with the scraper, as before. Spread buttercream over the top and smooth as neatly as possible, pulling the knife towards the middle of the cake. Take a final pass over the sides, holding the scraper very lightly and turning the turntable very gently.

Clean the palette knife and fill a tall container (e.g. a pint jug) with hot water. Rest the knife in the water for a minute or two to warm, then remove and dry off. Working quickly, smooth over the sides and top of the cake with the warmed palette knife, dipping and drying again as needed to keep it warm. This will give a nice smooth finish to the cake.

Place the shell nozzle into the piping bag and fill with the remaining buttercream. Pipe a pretty border around the top and bottom edges of the cake.

Attach the bunting to the string and tie to the top of each drinking straw. Place the straws into the top of the cake at a slight angle to finish.