Sweetie Birthday Cake
This is a firm and moist cake that is ideal for birthday cakes.

Serves 8

  
ingredients: method:
175g organic butter, room temperature
175g Billingtons caster sugar
285g self-raising flour
4 large eggs, beaten
finely grated rind of one small lemon
1 tablespoon milk
375g Billington’s icing sugar, sifted
125g organic butter, room temperature
pink food colouring
sweeties to decorate
 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°) mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm round cake or 18cm square cake tin.

Put the soft butter and the sugar in a large mixing bowl, and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the eggs gradually, alternating with 4 tablespoonfuls of flour, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add any flavouring required at this point. Using a large spoon, fold the remaining flour into the mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin then make a dip in the top of the mixture with the back of the spoon.

Bake in the centre of the oven for about 50minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out cleanly. Leave to cool for 10 minutes then turn out on to a cooling tray.
For the icing; place the icing sugar and butter and chosen flavouring in a medium sized bowl and beat until smooth, light, fluffy and lump free. Add a tiny amount of pink food colouring and mix until evenly distributed. Split the cake in halve and fill with 1/3 of the icing and cover the cake with the remaining icing. Decorate with sweeties.