※ The Birthday Cake (Recipe)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter (room temperature)
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs (room temperature)
3 cups of sifted self-rising flour
1 cup of whole milk (room temperature)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
1 teaspoon Raspberry flavour
Few drops of pink food colouring
1/2 small jar of jam**

ICING

• Lemon icing:
• 150g Block Cream Cheese
• 1/3 cup icing sugar, sifted
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice
  
  TO make the icing, mix together all the icing ingredients until well combined, I generally use a mixer as it gives a nicer result than hand mixing.

** I used my homemade mixed berry jam, recipe here: JAM


METHOD
Preheat oven to 160 degrees.
Grease and flour (2) 8 inch cake pans.
Using a mixer, cream butter until fluffy.
Add sugar and continue to cream for about 7 minutes.
Add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each egg is added.
Add flour and milk (alternating to creamed mixture), beginning and ending with flour.
Add vanilla to mix
Divide batter equally into two bowls.
Add raspberry flavoring and colouring to one batch

Pour into cake tins
Hold each layer about 3 inches above your counter and carefully drop the pans flat onto counter several times to ensure release of any air bubbles. This will help you have a more level cake.
 

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes (depending on your oven) until done. Cool in pans for 5 – 10 minutes.

Remove and immediately wrap each layer in plastic wrap to seal in moisture.
Cool completely on wire racks. Once cooled, you are ready to assemble your cake.

ASSEMBLY

Unwrap first layer and using a serrated knife, level off the top of your cake.
Add a layer of frosting to your bottom layer, fill centre with jam. Frost the sides & top.