Painted Buttercream Cake

Cake Decorating School: Painted Buttercream Cake This striking buttercream painted cake by Dr. Oetker is so simple to make – perfect for celebrations!

Brought to you by Dr. Oetker

Cake Decorating School: Painted Buttercream Cake

This striking painted buttercream cake by Dr. Oetker is so simple to make – perfect for birthday celebrations!

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You will need

For the cake

400 g unsalted butter, softened
500 g caster sugar
6 large free-range eggs
200 ml whole milk
2 tsp Dr. Oetker Madagascan Vanilla Bean Paste
500 g self-raising flour
1 tsp Dr. Oetker Baking Powder

To decorate

800 g Dr. Oetker Buttercream Style Icing Classic Vanilla
200 g strawberry jam
Dr. Oetker Extra Strong Pink Food Colour Gels (pink, blue, green, violet, orange)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180oC/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line three 20cm (8in) baking tins.

Create the cake

Place the softened butter and sugar into a bowl, then beat with an electric mixer until light in colour and fluffy in texture.

In a jug, beat together the eggs, vanilla and milk. Slowly add to the butter and sugar mix along with the flour and baking powder. Mix together until well combined.

Bake and assemble

Divide the cake batter between the three tins, then place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until cooked. To test if the cakes are cooked, insert a skewer and if it comes out clean, then the cakes are ready.

Place the cooked cakes onto a cooling rack and cool in the tins for 15 minutes, then remove from the tins to cool fully.

Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Pipe or spoon a 1cm (1⁄2in) thick ring of vanilla icing on the rim of the cake. Spread a thin layer of jam in the inside of the ring of vanilla buttercream.

Place the second cake on top, then repeat the buttercream ring and jam layer.

Add the third layer of cake, then crumb- coat the whole cake – start by spreading Buttercream Style Icing on the top of the cake, then work your way down the sides until the whole cake is covered in a layer of buttercream. Chill for 10 minutes.

Decorate the cake

Meanwhile, take the remaining 400g (14oz) buttercream and divide between 5 bowls.

Make the blue colour buttercream by adding a couple of drops of blue Extra Strong Colour Gel to one of the bowls, mixing well to create a pale blue colour.

Repeat step 10 using the different Extra Strong Colour Gels to create a pale green, lilac, light pink and coral buttercreams.

Transfer the coloured buttercreams into individual piping bags and snip off the ends to create a hole about 1cm (1⁄2in) wide to pipe through.

To create the buttercream paint, smear pattern on the cake, pipe a line of buttercream dots of each colour 1cm (1⁄2in) wide in a random pattern around the top of the side of the cake.

To smear each dot, press a finger or the back of a teaspoon into the dot, then gently pull down to create a smear.

Continue to pipe and smear dots of the coloured buttercream around the whole of the cake, spreading out the dots more as you get towards the bottom of the cake.