Fairy Bread Sponge Cake

Preheat oven to 160ºC (320ºF). Prepare a 9-icnh (23cm) diameter cake tin. Set aside.

Separate eggs. Place yolks in one mixing bowl, the whites in another.

Beat egg whites on high speed with an electric mixer, pouring in half of caster sugar as you go, until it holds soft peaks and is of a meringue texture (smooth, glossy, and thick).

Clean and dry or change beaters, and beat egg yolks on high speed, gradually pouring remaining half of caster sugar as you go, until egg yolks have roughly doubled in size.

Pour egg yolks into whites and, using a soft silicone spatula, fold gently.

Into a separate bowl, sift self-raising flour, cornflour, and cream of tartar. Then sift them a second time into the mixing bowl with eggs. Add vanilla essence, and fold wet and dry ingredients together gently until well combined. Scrape the bottom of the mixing bowl to pick any last small pockets of flour.

Pour mixture into pre-prepared tin, and place on the centre rack in the oven for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake is removed clean. Allow cake to cool in the tin for 10–15 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge of your cake to release it from the tin and gently transfer it onto a cooling rack. Place in the fridge to cool.

Place all buttercream ingredients into a large mixing bowl, and beat on high until the butter has lightened in colour and is soft and creamy. This usually takes around 10 minutes.

Retrieve cake from the fridge, apply a small dollop of butter cream to your cake board, place cake atop it. Apply a rough, thin coat of icing to entire cake. This is the crumb coat, it is designed to encase any crumbs that may crumble off, and shape the cake. This is that stage where you want to fill in any gaps, straighten the cakes edges, flatten out the top, etc. Move cake back to fridge for 30 minutes to allow to icing to set.

Retrieve cake from the fridge, and apply the final layer of icing.

Once you’re happy with the final shape and edges on your cake, sit it atop a baking tray (to catch some of the sprinkles you’re about to get all over the kitchen) and gently press sprinkles into the frosting.