Prep Time
0:45
Cook time
1:10
Yield
24 Servings
Ingredients
- 375g unsalted butter softened
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 4 1/2 cups self-raising flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- Blue, purple, green, pink and yellow gel food colorings
- 1 1/2 tablespoons banana-flavored Nesquik powder (optional, see note)
- 2 teaspoons strawberry essence (optional, see note)
- M&Ms (7 red, 18 orange, 24 yellow, 28 green, and 36 blue), to decorate
- 12 pink and 40 purple Smarties, to decorate
Buttercream icing
- 500g unsalted butter softened
- 6 cups icing sugar mixture
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- White icing coloring (optional)
Method
Step 1
Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Grease two 7cm-deep, 20cm-round cake pans. Line base and sides with 2 layers of baking paper.
Step 2
Using an electric mixer, beat butter, vanilla, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Add flour. Beat on low speed, gradually adding milk, until just combined. Divide mixture between 5 bowls. Using food coloring, tint 1 portion purple and remaining portions blue, green, pink, and yellow. Add banana-flavored powder to yellow mixture and strawberry essence to the pink mixture, stirring to combine.
Step 3
Using half of each colored mixture, drop tablespoons of the mixtures, alternating colors, into 1 prepared cake pan. Repeat with remaining mixtures and cake pan. Run a butter knife back and forth through both mixtures to create a slightly marbled effect (don’t over-marble). Bake cakes together for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean (cover cakes loosely with foil if over-browning). Stand in pans for 10 minutes. Turn, top-side up, onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 4
Make Buttercream icing: Using an electric mixer, beat butter for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in icing sugar until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla. Beat until combined. Add enough white coloring, if using, to make icing white.
Step 5
Using a serrated knife, level tops of cakes if necessary. Place 1 cake on a serving plate. Spread 3/4 cup of icing over the top of the cake. Top with the second cake. Spread remaining icing over top and side of the cake. Using a picture as a guide, decorate the top with M&Ms and Smarties. Use remaining colors for the row along the base. Serve.
