Here’s what you’ll need to bake Fairy Floss Drip Cake:

Here’s a cheeky tip: Instead of purchasing all the cake ingredients, you can easily buy a pack of cake mix, or simply buy your favourite ready-made cake base from your local supermarket and get straight into to the fun part.

For the delicious sponge:

• 325g unsalted butter, softened (plus extra for the tin)
• 325g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 eggs
• 325g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 tbsp milk

For the beautiful purple buttercream:

• 120g unsalted butter (softened)
• Cake Décor Purple Colour Gel
• 6tbsp Whole Milk
• 500g Icing Sugar

For the magical decorations:

• 300g Purple fondant icing
• 1 cup of Cornflour or Icing Sugar
• Cake Décor Fairy Floss sprinkles
• Cake Décor White Choco Writer

Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Start by pre-heating the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan. While it’s heating, butter the base of three 20cm sandwich tins and line them with baking parchment. Next, in a large bowl, beat the butter, caster sugar and vanilla extract together with an electric whisk for 8 – 10 minutes until the mixture is pale and fluffy (Don’t worry if you don’t have an electric whisk – you can always do it by hand!). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift in the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt, and fold the mixture using a large metal spoon. Finally, add just enough milk to create a soft dropping consistency.
2. It’s time to bake the cake base! Divide your delicious batter between your prepared tins and smooth the top with a spatula. Pop in the oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes (you’ll know the sponge is ready when it’s golden and firm to touch). When done baking, leave them to cool in the tins and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Whilst the sponges are cooling, it’s the perfect time to get your buttercream ready. Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl. Gently stir in the icing sugar, a little at a time, to make a glossy and spreadable mixture. If the icing turns out to be too thick, not to worry – just gradually add the whole milk until the mixture reaches the desired consistency. Put the mixture into a piping bag.
4. Let’s start assembling the cake! Put one of the cooled sponges on a cake board or stand and spread a little of the buttercream on top using a palette knife, then sandwich with another sponge. Repeat the process with a little more buttercream and the third sponge. Spread the outside of the cake with a thin layer of buttercream (Don’t worry if it’s not perfect – we will cover the imperfections with fondant!). Let the cake cool for 30 minutes.
5. Before turning you cake into purple magic, spread a thick, even layer of buttercream over the chilled cake using a palette knife (the easiest way is to pile the buttercream on top of the cake and easing it across the top and sides, making sure all gaps are filled and smoothed down the sides). Create smooth edges and sharp corners by turning the cake on the turntable and simultaneously using a palette knife to smooth the buttercream on the sides and top, scraping off any excess as you go. Whilst you’re at it, measure across the top and sides of the cake using a piece of string (this will act as a guide for when you roll the icing out later). Pop the cake back it in the fridge to firm for 30 minutes. Afterwards, squeeze the remaining buttercream into a bowl and slowly add the Purple Colour Gel into the mixture and mix well until you get your desired shade of purple which you’ll use to decorate the top of your delicious cake (the amount of colour gel depends on what shade you want to achieve, so if you fancy a strong purple – add more purple!). Pop the purple icing into a new piping bag.
6. Whilst your cake is cooling in the fridge, dust a clean surface with cornflour or icing sugar. Knead your Purple Fondant Icing for a couple of minutes until it’s softened (you can also easily pop it into a microwave for 10 seconds). Once that’s done, roll out the fondant to fit the cake, using the string for guidance. Lift the icing using a rolling pin or your hands and drape it over the top of the cake. Smooth the fondant using cake smoothers, pushing out any air bubbles and creases, starting on the top then working down the sides. Use a small knife to cut away the excess icing but be careful not to cut too close to the cake. Finally, polish the cake using two smoothers together for a perfect finish.
7. It’s finally the fun decorating part! Take the White Writer and gently squeeze on top of the sides of the cake, letting it droop over the sides (don’t squeeze too much of the white writer over the sides, as you want to cover all your beautiful purple colour). Once that’s done, Take the purple icing you made earlier and generously squeeze it over the sides of the top of the cake where you squeezed your white writer. Finally, take your Fairy Floss sprinkles and generously scatter them on top of your unicorn cake (be sure to take some and place them over the dripped White Writer sides), and sprinkle them around the base of the cake (use a small palette knife to gently lift and press the strands to the base of the cake to make a perfect bottom design).