Flicks Layered Doodle Rainbow Cake - unsalted butter

Method

• Cakes.
• Preheat oven to 175 C.
• Weigh the empty bowl you are going to use and 0 your scales or write it down the weight.
• Grease and line three 21cm inch round cake pans, then line with waxed paper.
• Cream the butter and sugar until creamy, smooth and light in colour.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Sift the flours together and alternate adding with the milk and the vanilla extract, beating well after each addition.
• Weigh the finished batter (making sure you're not including the bowl, or minus it from the total) and then divide the weight by 6.
• Carefully measure the batter equally between 6 bowls (it will be somewhere just over 300 grams each) and colour 3 with Purple, orange and green.
• Spread batter into three tins and smooth it out to the edges, I like to make it slightly thicker around the edges becase it rises a little in the center and by doing that you get a more level cake.
• While the three are baking colour the remaining three bowls of batter.
• Bake until cooked and gently turn them out onto wire racks to cool.
• Reline the tins and repeat with the remaining three bowls of batter.
• Put the cakes into the fridge until ready to use.
• Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing:.
• Put the egg whites and sugar into a bowl and whisk over heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture feels smooth to touch.
• Remove the bowl and beat (this is where a stand mixer is ideal) in high until the mixture has cooled right down and become a smooth, sticky and thick meringue type consistency.
• That part is vital, don't rush to put the butter in until it is definately cooled and thick.
• Start adding the pieces of room temp butter to the mixture one piece at a time incorporating each piece before the next.
• This will take quite a while and when you have added all the butter it will take on a curdled appearance.
• Don't worry, continue on beating, it will all come together and change into a thick icing.
• Add whatever flavouring you would like.
• I like vanilla and lemon.
• If during the butter adding stage it becomes too soft, put it in the fridge for a few minutes till it firms up and continue.
• Trim any brown crusty edges on the cakes with scissors.
• Starting with violet, layer the cakes spreading the buttercream a few mms thick between each layer then fill the sides and ice the top and sides.
• Put in the fridge to form a crust.
• Buttercream is best served at room temp so remove a couple of hours before serving or cut straight from the fridge and let the pieces sit for a few minutes before eating.
• Rolled Fondant:.
• Sprinkle the gelatin over cold water in a small bowl and let it rest for 5 minutes to soften
• Place the bowl over a pot simmering water until the gelatin dissolves.
• Add the glucose or corn syrup and the glycerin and stir until the mixture is smooth and clear
• Sift 7 1/2 cups of the sugar into a large bowl.
• Make a hole in the sugar and pour the liquid mixture into it.
• Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes sticky.
• Sift some of the remaining sugar onto a smooth work surface and add as much of the remaining sugar as the mixture will take.
• Knead the fondant, adding a little more sugar if necessary, to form a smooth, pliable mass.
• Rub the vegetable shortening on your thumbs and knead it into the fondant.
• At this point you could knead some colour into it if you like.
• I kept it white because I wanted the inside of the cake to stand out.
• Wrap the fondant in plastic wrap and place it in a tightly sealed container to prevent it from drying out.
• If the icing dries out and hardens it can often be revived by popping it into a microwave for a few seconds and then kneading it back to life.