Directions

Step 1 – the Lemon and Poppyseed Layer

1. Line your two round 10 inch cake tins and pre-heat your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan assisted ovens).

2. Put two bags of the vanilla sponge mix into a large mixing bowl with the soft butter (or dairy free alternative), eggs and water, then add your lemon juice/flavouring, lemon and orange zest and poppy seeds. Beat together with an electric whisk for 20 seconds, then stop, scrape down the bowl and mix for a further 20 seconds until the mixture is lump free and smooth.

3. Divide the mixture between your two lined tins and spread the mixture into an even layer. Bake each one for 25 minutes until lightly golden brown and springy to the touch. You can check if it’s done by putting a cocktail stick or skewer in the centre – if it comes out clean, you know it is cooked.

4. Leave them to cool in their tins before transferring them to a cooling rack. Once they have cooled completely, trim the tops off each cake to make them completely flat and even, then spread your lemon curd over one of the cakes evenly before putting the other layer on top of it to form a sandwich cake. Set this aside to make your next layers.

Step 2 – the Coffee and Walnut Layer

1. Line your two round 8 inch cake tins, pre-heat your oven to 180°C (160°C for fan assisted ovens).

2. Put two bags of the vanilla sponge mix into a large mixing bowl with the soft butter (or dairy free alternative), eggs and water. In a separate jug, mix together your coffee granules and warm water and stir, then pour this into the mixing bowl with your other ingredients. Beat together with an electric whisk for 20 seconds, then stop, scrape down the bowl and mix for a further 20 seconds until the mixture is lump free and smooth.

3. Make your coffee-flavoured buttercream (or soften if pre-bought) and follow step 4 from the lemon and poppyseed layer.

Step 3 – the Chocolate and Berry Layer

1. Line your two round 6 inch cake tins, pre-heat your oven to 180°C/160°C for fan assisted ovens.

2. Put two bags of the vanilla sponge mix into a large mixing bowl with the soft butter (or dairy free alternative), eggs and water. Add your cocoa powder into the mix using a sieve so that it has no lumps. Beat together with an electric whisk for 20 seconds, then stop, scrape down the bowl and mix for a further 20 seconds until the mixture is lump free and smooth.

3. Make your chocolate fudge-flavoured buttercream (or soften if pre-bought) and follow step 4 from the lemon and poppyseed layer. You will now have 3 sandwich cakes.

Step 4 – Construct Your Cake!

1. Once you have completed the baking, cut some dowels to the correct width of the lemon cake and the coffee cake. I put 4 dowels in each cake to hold the weight of the cakes so that they didn’t sink into each other. Once the dowels are in place, stack the cakes so that the 10 inch lemon and poppyseed cake is at the bottom, the 8 inch coffee and walnut cake is in the middle and the chocolate and berry cake is at the top!

2. Using a star nozzle and a piping bag, pipe your lemon-flavoured buttercream around the edge of the lemon and poppyseed layer, then add orange and lemon flavour jelly slices to decorate around the edge of the cake. Pipe your coffee-flavoured buttercream around the coffee layer, then decorate the edge of the cake with walnuts. Finally, pipe the chocolate fudge-flavoured buttercream around the edge of the chocolate layer, then decorate with chocolate stars and berries.