World Cup football cake

Here is the recipe we used in case that’s useful, but we would love to see your creations and how you made it into your own World Cup showstopper!

You will need:

• Roll out green icing – 2 x 250g (to cover the sides and top)
• Roll out black and white icing
• Royal icing – black and white
• Football shape cutters – or cut out pentagon and hexagon templates
• Piping bag (optional)
• 3 x 8-inch cake tins
• Cake board

Ingredients

• 450g butter, softened
• 450g caster sugar
• 2 tsp of vanilla extract or bean paste
• 9 eggs
• 450g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• 2 tbsp of milk
• For the buttercream:
• 250g unsalted butter, soft
• 800g icing sugar
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract or bean paste
• 2-3 tbsp of milk
• Smarties, mini chocolate footballs, sweets

Method

1. Cream together the butter and sugar.
2. Beat the eggs in a jug then add to the butter and sugar mixture, a little at a time. Mix well after each addition until it is all well combined.
3. Sift in the flour and baking powder then fold in gently.
4. Add the milk and stir to combine.
5. Line the bottoms of the tins with circles of non-stick baking paper and lightly grease the sides of the tins with a flavourless oil.
6. Scrape the mixture into the tins and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
7. Take the cakes out of the oven when they are pale golden and springy to touch. Leave to cool in their tins for at least 10 minutes before carefully turning them out onto a cooling rack.
8. For the buttercream, put the butter, half the icing sugar, milk and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat well. Add the rest of the icing sugar and beat until thick and creamy.
9. When the cakes are completely cold, level the tops with a sharp knife.
10. Use a round cutter to cut a hole in the middle of the bottom cake and fill with your chosen treat.
11. Stick the first cake to a cake board or cake plate with a little of the buttercream, spread buttercream on top and gently press on the second cake.
12. Cover the top and sides of the cake with the remaining buttercream to make a crumb coat – this is so the roll-out icing will stick to the cake.
13. Roll out the green icing and use this to cover the top and sides of the cake.
14. Roll out the white icing and use a clean cake tin base to cut a circle, the same size as the top of the cake, carefully lift this and position it on top.
15. Roll out some black icing.
16. Cut the parts of a football out of the white and black icing. Use my cake or a photo of a football as a guide. Press these pieces onto the white disc of icing on top of the cake, use a little scrape of icing to stick them on if needed.
17. I finished the cake with a few foil-covered chocolate sprouts and footballs, and I piped a circle of royal icing around the base of the cake using a star nozzle attachment.