Recipe

Preheat oven to 160°C. Butter and flour 2 x 20cm and 2x6” round cake tins and line the base with baking paper.

Place all ingredients except into a large mixing bowl and mix for around 5-10min or until the ingredients are combined and the butter is fully incorporated. Pour mixture into prepared tins and gently smooth the top. Bake for 45min to an hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean - the 6” cakes will only take 20min. Allow to cool in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

Caramel Buttercream

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, milk, vanilla essence and half of the icing sugar until combined. Gradually add in the remaining icing and caramel and beat until smooth and creamy – the longer you mix the silkier your icing will be.

Assembling your cake

Once all of your cakes have cooled completely, you will need to carefully level the tops of the cakes so that they are all flat.

Starting with one of the larger cakes, spread a small amount of icing onto the cut side of the cake and then gently place onto either the cake board or cake stand - this will stop the cake from moving around. Add 1 cup of icing to the top of your cake, using a pallet knife spread on top of the cake until you have a nice smooth finish, being careful not to let the icing go over the edges of the cake. Place the first layer into the fridge and allow to cool before adding the the next layer of cake and icing, repeat the above steps. For the 6” layers, top tier, repeat the above steps but spread 1/2 cup of icing onto the cakes. Once iced, place in the fridge for 10min for the icing to cool.

In a small bowl, gently melt 4 tablespoons of caramel in the microwave before drizzling atop your iced cake with a spoon and decorating with fresh coffee beans. Serve generous slices of this delicious cake with your friends and family at your next celebration.